Bob

We will be in Italy in September. Does anyone have good recommendations on how to bring some Italian wine home? Will they ship to US?

Sarah

Depending on how much wine you want to bring back, the easiest thing is probably to haul it on the plane. I'm not sure about Italy, but we had wine shipped from France to Virginia. The difficult part is not the shipping from but the picking up at, in most cases. <BR>The drill was this: Wine arrives at warehouse of cargo shipper at airport. Spouse then filled out forms from wine distributor, who then picked up wine and took it to his warehouse, where spouse picked it up. In addition to the hassle, having a distributor lay hands on it cost $75-100/case. If you want to by a lot of wine, make sure it's expensive and rare, or it isn't worth it.

Sarah

Depending on how much wine you want to bring back, the easiest thing is probably to haul it on the plane. I'm not sure about Italy, but we had wine shipped from France to Virginia. The difficult part is not the shipping from but the picking up at, in most cases. <BR>The drill was this: Wine arrives at warehouse of cargo shipper at airport. Spouse then filled out forms from wine distributor, who then picked up wine and took it to his warehouse, where spouse picked it up. In addition to the hassle, having a distributor lay hands on it cost $75-100/case. If you want to by a lot of wine, make sure it's expensive and rare, or it isn't worth it.

elvira

Sending cases home is ok by U.S. customs; you'll pay duty. The problem arises within the individual states. Some states allow a certain # of cases for 'personal use', others don't allow any importation unless you are a licensed wine distributor. Check with your state before you leave. The alternative is to haul it on board the plane yourself.

Sarah

You can start researching your state's laws by going to <BR>http://www.wineinstitute.org/shipwine/ <BR>state_abcz/abcz.htm <BR>Two caveats: <BR>The Wine Institute focuses on diret shipment between states, not from abroad. <BR>Finding the person at your state board who knows what's going on can take some effort. The first person I talked to at Virginia's ABC told me that no alcohol could ever be brought into the commonwealth by anyone other than a licensed distributor. I guess I missed all those people at Dulles having their wine yanked from their hands.

DAWN

tHAT IS DEFINATELY not true about bringing wine into Virginia. On every trip I've made I've flown out of Dulles, and have brought back and in many cases of wine and liquor. Someone has their facts wrong.

Chad

According to the Travel Channel, the duty on each bottle of wine you bring into the country is only thirty cents. <BR>

Paul

I'm planning on bringing home a case of wine from Italy this October. I have decided that I'm going to carry it onboard with me, and just bring it through US Customs. <BR> <BR>I believe that Customs will allow 1 bottle in duty free, as part of the $400 personal exemption. After that, it's dutiable at 10% of value. In addition, the IRS takes a revenue tax, but that will amount to about $5.00/case. All in all, seems pretty reasonable to me!

john b

IT ALL DEPENDS!! Yes they'll ship, but the problem is stateside,depending on where you live. Pay by credit card. <BR> A lot of the best(and worst)Italian wines are available here, so make sure Italy is your only source. Taste plenty of it there then make your decision.We go to Italy a lot, travel only with a backpack and always bring home an expensive wine in the packs, divided, 6 bottles in each, as a carryon. We've also checked in cheaper cases as luggage and paid a small duty, and never had packs checked at customs, and <BR>have truthfully filled out the card that you get on the plane. 1 750ml bottle weighs exactly 3 lbs., so 18 lbs. isnt too bad in a pack. Try it. <BR>

kam

We have found that the little known but still wonderful Italians wines don't travel/keep well and are best enjoyed in Italy. The good wines from the best wineries are the same price back here in CA when you take into account the hassle of transporting them home. So, for California, I would suggest just to buy them here. Sorry can't tell you about other states. I think you are allowed 1 bottle of wine per person over 21. Into Arizona, however, you are allowed 2!

Barbara

<BR>We carry an empty soft canvas bag, which my husband packs as we go with wine and olive oils. Wrap in thichknewspaper and/or clothing. Heavy to carry on, but a labor of love. He knows the wines well enough to know which are not available at home. Have a great trip.