Reckoning

What can I expect in cost difference in Wine prices in Italy as opposed to here in U.S.?
For example a Brunnelle(spelling is bad sorry) here is $70.

iloveitalymore

There's not enough information that you provided in order to make a fair comparison. For example, recent Brunello vintages that are very good, i.e. '97s and '99s, and are from well known producers (Banfi, Altesino, Livio Sasseti, etc.), can still be purchased here in the US from about $49 and above.

I have yet to encounter the same or lower prices in Italian stores. Perhaps, I just didn't go to the right ones, but my experience is that all European wines that I like are available locally, in the U.S., for the same or lower prices.

Craigellachie

If you know exactly what you want and go a bit off the beaten track you'll get some great bargains. I'm not a connaiseur but a few years ago we took a short bus trip from Florence to Fiesole and the local supermarket was selling very nice Chianti for about one fifth the price of the same bottle in the centre of Florence. And Fiesole is a popular stopping off point for day trips so you could probably do even better a bit further out.

tinarose

Last summer i went with my sister's family to Tuscany. My brotherinlaw, quite the wine expert, took us to small and large wineries and wine shops. When it came down to it the wines he wanted were cheaper in LA than if you shipped them back. He did buy enough that each of my elementary school age nieces, sister, and mother all had a 3 pak as carry on going home. but not worth the hassle to ship he says. So it also depends on what the access to good wine at fair prices is in your hometown.

bill_boy

I, too, don't find wines that I search for to be cheaper, and worth the hassle of bringing back, when in italy. I almost always find a source, could be a little bit more costly, but mostly cheaper at home.

However, we still bring back wines just to remember the good times during our travels. But never anymore than a few bottles like I used to. It's simply not worth the hassle.

Henry

Reckoning,
I have found prices to be cheaper in Italy both when buying in a store or restaurant.
Don't try to ship home, the cost will eat the savings.
Carrying it home is a major hassle but sometimes worth it for wine you can't get at home (there are well over 100 producers of Brunello but no store in my town has more than a dozen available.)

ira

Hi R,

If you can get it in the US, the prices in Italy will only be slightly lower than at home.

We found 1997 and 1999 Brunellos in Italy to be almost the same price as in Georgia - and we have a high tax on alcohol.

Look for local vintners that don't ship abroad.

We recently brought back 9 bottles from France in our carry on luggage (Repacking the suitcases is a different story). They ranged from very good (5E) to excellent (13E).

bill_boy

I'm sure the posters here, especially those who claim to like good wine, are knowledgeable about being able to buy from out-of-state merchants and having your goods shipped to your doorstep. Oh, this is only true if your state has a reciprocity agreement with the state that you are buying from.

There are tons of reputable wine merchants all over the country and in the world that can deliver to your doorstep.(www.wine-searcher.com is free and can be had with the professional version for a small annual fee that provides prices, names and locations of merchants with the specific wines that you want worldwide). There are also some informal wine clubs on the internet that has commerce forums where one can trade or buy hard-to-find wines from other collectors.

Doble_Vergasser

Well, in Rome we stopped in a wine store and asked for a "good value white wine". Fantastic wine and 5 euro. (I suspect that the Europeans keep the better wine, and export the lesser wine .

Shipping back is usually too expensive and you hit your state's wine laws. Shipping wine is only recently rumored to be legal in Georgia.