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