How many bottles of wine..?
 

How many bottles of wine and/or liquor are we allowed to bring home with us from France? If we send some home what are the rules and regulations?

Depends where home is!

"where" is right. The answer could be zero or as many as you can carry, depending on the "jurisdiction" of your residence - - and also the airport through you pass to get home. Presumably you don't live in Riyadh (and is Utah much different?)<BR><BR>As for shipping it home, the safe answer is zero, but others have found licensed merchants who can do it, for some states in the US.<BR><BR>Search "winespectator" on this forum. I have written numerous replies on questions like this.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Someone told me that most US customs inspectors don't bother charging duty on a couple of bottles over the allowed limit--not worth the paper work for the small amt. of $$ to be collected. ??

Correct, probably up to 20 (50?) bottles. I have actually never heard of anyone paying ANY duty to U.S. Customs on wine. Thre are, however stories of confiscating and destroying ALL the alcoholic beverages being brought in - - not just wine.<BR><BR>Bottom line, the U.S. government is not particularly concerned about tourists who bring back alcoholic beverages. The ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Commission) folks from certain states might. the commerce of alcohol in the US is largely state-controlled.<BR><BR>And it doesn't always seem consistent. I believe that you could bring in as much booze as you can carry into an airport in Ohio (Cleveland, for example now has non-stop trans-atlantic service).<BR><BR>But you can't open up a store and sell it (hard liquor), no matter how/where you got it. Only the state of Ohio can do that.<BR><BR>

to the top<BR>

You can't ship with UPS or FedEx. They do not have the license

Same with DHL.<BR>

The previous posts are right, I think it depends on where you live. In my view, more importantly, what U.S. (presumably) gateway you come through. <BR><BR>If it is an airport with numerous international flights, chances are U.S. customs will be busy with non-U.S. citizens bringing in food, etc. They'll probably be less concerned about U..S. citizens carry a case of wine. (There are restrictions on the amount of alcohol on can come back with.)<BR><BR>Twice, we've come back from France with 2 cases that we carried on-board the plane. As we come into Newark, the customs officials had their hands full with flights from Eastern Europe ans Asia. <BR><BR>However, we have not been to France since 9/11. They may be less willing to look the other-way in these situations. <BR>

why in the world would you go thru all that hassle when you can get the same stuff and probaly cheaper at home--why bother to save a few bucks. dumb

We'll be coming home through O'Hare. If anyone knows the specific regulations for Illinois please let us know. Thanks for your input!

99

<BR>Seems like somebody is asking this question just about every day lately. There must be a bunch of winos on board. I only brought home 150 bottles of Burgundy reds and a dozen bottles of various spirits in a container when we relocated back to California from Germany. US Customs had no comment; I think they did not even read the manifest. ;&gt;)<BR><BR>Anecdote aside, the official regulations can be found in the US Government booklet "Know Before You Go" which is on line at http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/travel/know.htm. It also answers cheese and sausage questions.<BR>www.enjoy-europe.com<BR>

Although a little roughly said, wineguy expressed my sentiments exactly.<BR>

Lori-<BR>You will receive insturctions on board the plane- on the customs card that will tell you how much you can bring into the US without having to pay tax on it- so don't worry. Have a great trip

Lori-<BR> We brought 10 bottles of still wine, 4 bottles of liqeurs and 2 bottles of Champagne back last week. I declared them all and customs didn't say anything or make us pay any duty. Last year we had 2 cases shipped from a negoiant in Beaune and paid $26 in customs duty and a $10 fee at American Airlines who brought it in. The negoiant in Beaune included the shipping in the price of the wine which wasn't cheap but much less than the price here if you could even find those wines. If you are going to be in Beaune, email me and I will get you the name and address.

ttt

&lt;&lt;You will receive insturctions on board the plane- on the customs card that will tell you how much you can bring into the US without having to pay tax on it&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>I'd say generally to ignore this.<BR>

Thanks for all your replies.... but has anyone specifically brought wine thru o hare in chicago? Kim

Yes, Kim and Lorie,<BR>Last week we brought back a box containing 6 bottles from Paris to O'Hare. The customs agent in Chicago noticed the box, asked what it contained and waved us on-no fuss, no duty paid-they obviously weren't concerned and had other post 9/11 matters to worry about. <BR>We purchased the wine, all hard-to-find vintages from the Languedoc-Roussillon unavailable in the US, at a delightful wine store in the 6th, called Derniere Goutte, owned by Juan Sanchez, an American from Miami, who also co-owns the restaurant "Fish la Boissonerie" on the Rue de Seine, around the corner. His shop is well known in the Paris Anglo community (featured in last spring's Gourmet and Bon A) for its nice collection of southwestern wines at very reasonable prices. For 9.4 euros more, we purchased a sturdy La Poste box specially made for shipping wines, and we simply checked it along with our bags. We did meet some initial hesitation from the American airlines agent at CDG, but Juan was insistent we could ship this without mishap, Patti, his helper, packed it extremely well and told us we could bring back as much as we could carry without being charged duty (his customers do this regularly), so the agent marked it fragile, and all was well. We checked it again on our connecting flight from O'Hare to our home. If we had known how simple this was going to be, we might have bought another box of 6 wines and checked it as well, as we were traveling with only 1 bag a piece.<BR>Hope this helps answer your question.

Despite all the nutty restrictions the various states apply to alcohol, I'd be surprised if the place of your arrival from France has any bearing on how much wine you can bring. <BR>First, how much you can carry aboard the plane is set by the airline in its carry-on standards (checking wine would be foolhardy).<BR>Second, I've never seen state authorities lurking in the customs areas of airports, or federal customs or agriculture inspectors concerned with state regulations -- and I've arrived in Virginia (Dulles) where the state rules are among the most restrictive.

I have never particularly advocated wine in a carry-on. You're right - - with the 15-20 bottles I usually bring home, carry-on is not a possibility.<BR><BR>My stregy of a rollaboard (like a yolk), surrounded by clothes (the white) encased inside a large duffel bag (the eggshell) is intended for checking. And you can definitely carry 10-20 bottles this way. I've done it often.<BR><BR>The stories about state ABC officials confiscating alcoholic beverages are legend, and I know of none of them firsthand. Only takes one or two such anecdotes to get widely cited.<BR>

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I will check out Maribel's wine store that does such good packing and will pack a few bottles among my checked clothes (egg idea). Since we will be traveling back to CDG with a rental car, does anyone know of a good wine merchant outside of Paris near CDG or NE of Paris?

<BR>Wineguy made some excellent observations. And the other shoe also fits. For example, when you go in a wine shop in The Netherlands and look at the California wines for sale you will laugh. It is usually bottom of the barrel at top shelf prices. <BR>"Export quality" designates the stuff that the locals won't drink. So it is exported.<BR>

Bring back enough wine to share with your friends!!!

Lori,<BR>The wine shop, "La Derniere Goutte, vins de proprietarires"" is located in the 6th at 6 rue de Bourbon Le Chateau, very near the Rue de Buci market, a short walk from Place St. Germain des Pres and the metro Mabillon. <BR>tel: 01-43-29-11-62<BR>fax: 01-40-46-84-47<BR>It's open 9:30-1:30, 4-9, but 9:30-9 on Sat. and Sun. from 10:30-2, then 3-6:30. Closed Mon. mornings.<BR>The expat Anglo community of Paris, including P. Wells, shops there, as do restaurant owners in the quartier, There's a picture of it in the March '01 Gourmet mag. Juan Sanchez and Patti Currie, I promise, will pack up your bottles sturdily for you. And they always have a red and white open for tasting. They have more complete wine tastings on Sat. afternoons. The La Poste box that we brought ours home in can be broken down and re-used. We plan to take it to Spain with us this summer to bring back our wine purchases. <BR>Maribel

Thanks for the good tips Mirabel...we will definately check out Juan's store and the nifty travel boxes! L

I bring home cognac and brandies..why bother with wine ...if you can't find something good here in the US you are not shopping at the right places...they may have sentimental value but all the bother is not worth it!

We just returned from France with two cases of wine and no hassles whatsoever. We flew from Paris to NY - JFK airport. We declared the wine on our customs slip and were waved right through. The customs official did ask what was in the boxes and after seeing that everything was labeled and corresponded to our paperwork we went right on to our taxi. We purchased the wines outside of Beaune in local wineries and the prices were fantastic...no way you could get them in town or in the US for such low cost. We figured that even if we had to pay duty on the wine it would still be less expensive than buying it here. Also, the wines we brought back are not widely available here if at all. Purchasing a sturdy box with styrofoam inserts made specifically for shipping wine is a must however. You can get them from just about any local wine merchant in Beaune (where we stayed) who ships. You can just go in and ask. If they can't help you they will often recommend someone else who can.

Sorry, I just gotta do this -- I think the answer is "99 bottles of wine. . .

Great information for my next trip.<BR>Thanks<BR>Nan

topping

With all this talk about Juan and La Derni&egrave;re Goutte (The Last Drop), I recall our great trip to France in May/June 02'. Not only is the wine shop wonderful, Juan is very helpful if you plan to visit vignerons. The shop specializes in wines of the Rhone including hard to find Languedoc as Mirabel mentioned. I was able pick up a few Ogier Cote Roties on my visit. We also enjoyed a great tasting in the shop. My support for the shop is based on the help Juan provided on our trip to Lyon. He was able to provide the numbers and addreses to several CR producers and 2 in Condrieu. The visits were amazing and I purchased more than my share of wines that cost 3-4 times more in the US (if you can find them). <BR><BR>BTW, I brought back exactly 22 750ml bottles and 1 500ml bottle in my carry on. I was able pack most of my stuff in my check in baggage, hence the extra carry on room. My wife and I had no trouble at the LAX customs. No duty paid.<BR><BR>Another great shop in Paris is Cave Auge (cannot find the address but do a google search and it should show up.)<BR><BR>Wineguy, go easy on Kathy. Ignorance is bliss!<BR><BR>Best,<BR>Gregg

I appreciate the info on bringing back alcohol from Europe. I had a similar experience when I brought back brandy from the UK.<BR><BR>But has anyone here done the same thing flying back from Canada? I wondered if customs responded the same.<BR><BR> Keith<BR><BR>PS: Hope this North American question isn't too far off topic.

aloha lori-<BR>we travelled to burgundy region in 2001. The wine shop we wandered into shipped us 2 cases of wine to our home in hawaii.I think the laws differ from state to state, but I'm not sure. I had to collect the wine from the airline shipper and go to a customs agent with it. We were allowed 19 liters without a permit-and the 24 bottle (750ml each) came to under 19 liters. I paid literally a few cents/liter duty. It was very little hassle on the home end, and the specialness we feel when we drink one of those bottles is certainly worth it. You probably want to check with your liquor commission about your local laws. we did not check but the wine merchant assured us it would be ok..and it was. We've also ordered wine from the same merchant since we've been home. have fun,hope this helps<BR>heidi