Shipping Wine
Sep 8th, 2004, 05:02 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shipping Wine
We are going to Tuscany next week and plan on buying a case or two of wine. Does anyone have advice on the most cost effective way to ship it from Italy. We are staying near Montalcino.
Sep 8th, 2004, 05:13 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 11,244
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We are also going to Tuscany next week. Go to the wine shops. They should have special cartons that are made for sending your wine back with your checked luggage, provided you have the 2 bag limit per person. I plan on doing the same thing. Additionally, check with your airline carry-on weight limit. You could bring 6-12 bottles back with your carry-on. 
Sep 8th, 2004, 07:04 PM
#3
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 227
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From previous threads, most would say it is not worth the shipping costs. We did ship back 6 bottles of Brunello from Montalcino from a local wine store. It cost 85 Euro for the shipping and it takes 5 or so days. Yes, extremely expensive, but we look forward to each bottle for the memory it will bring of our trip. We also took some bottles in our luggage. Enjoy!
Sep 8th, 2004, 08:12 PM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,194
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There are lots of threads here on bringing wine home - - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34417641 - - just to name one, and a small number of threads on wine merchants who succeeded in shipping wine home for their clients. Sometimes expensively, sometimes deceptively (labeling it as oil, for example).
And it depends critically on what state is the shipping address. It is not legal to ship wine to any address in Indiana, whether it's from 5 miles away in Louisville (Kentucky), from California, or from another continent.
Every state has something called the Alcoholic Beverages Commisssion - - <i>importing</i> alcoholic beverages, even for personal use, is their jurisdiction.
Best wishes,
Rex
And it depends critically on what state is the shipping address. It is not legal to ship wine to any address in Indiana, whether it's from 5 miles away in Louisville (Kentucky), from California, or from another continent.
Every state has something called the Alcoholic Beverages Commisssion - - <i>importing</i> alcoholic beverages, even for personal use, is their jurisdiction.
Best wishes,
Rex
Sep 9th, 2004, 05:07 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,763
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There is group that is trying to change some of the archaic laws regarding wine shipping.
More info here.
http://www.freethegrapes.com/
More info here.
http://www.freethegrapes.com/
Sep 9th, 2004, 07:11 AM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 246
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This term, the Supreme Court will hear a consolidated group of cases that may(hopefully)/may not decide whether such state restrictions violate the Commerce Clause (or whether the 21st Amendment gives states complete control over alcohol sales within their borders).
Sep 12th, 2004, 09:50 AM
#8
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thank you all for your advice on shipping wine home from Italy. We live in Massachusetts so that helps as far as it being an area it can be shipped to. I will pass on the info to my son -the wine collector
Sep 15th, 2005, 01:01 PM
#10
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Get a styrofoam lined wine shipping carton and count it as one of your two pieces of checked luggage.
I have also put up to 6 bottles in my checked hard sided suitcase. Either use two 3 bottle boxes or cushion the bottles individually by sticking them in sox and/or wraping them in the dirty laundry. The idea is to keep them from clinking and possibly breaking. If they are in a 3 bottle box, wrap the bottles in newspaper first so that the bottles don't rattle around.
Depending on the shape of the bottle (Alsace comes in thin bottles, Rhone in fatter ones) and the size of your roll-aboard Travelpro, you can put a six-pack box in that too. Wrap each bottle in a half or whole page of newspaper.
For a bonus, you are entitled to two carry on packages. You can make one of them a six-pack carton which you carry outside that roll-aboard. I suggest getting a small roll of brown Scotch Packing Tape. You can use this to reseal the boxes after you have opened them to wrap the bottles. Also, by being creative, you can make a handle on the bonus six pack so that you can put that box on top of the roll-aboard. The handle should be positioned so that it does not allow much free play and so that it will hold the box close to the roll-aboard handle as the box rests on the top. This means that an individual can check and carry 30 bottles. If there are two of you...do the math.
OK, so now you have a lot of wine. Be sure to list it on your customs form. If you have to pay for it, it is only about .50 per bottle if it is not sparkling wine. Sparkling is more expensive. That's not much to pay to have good wine that you can't buy at home.
One caution, the US carriers are now charging if your checked bags are too heavy, at least coming back from Europe. United Airline's limit is 25 Kilos (50 Lbs.) They charge $25 if it is overweight. They tell me they are doing this because a heavy plane needs more fuel to take off and fly. Check with your airline for limits.
I have also put up to 6 bottles in my checked hard sided suitcase. Either use two 3 bottle boxes or cushion the bottles individually by sticking them in sox and/or wraping them in the dirty laundry. The idea is to keep them from clinking and possibly breaking. If they are in a 3 bottle box, wrap the bottles in newspaper first so that the bottles don't rattle around.
Depending on the shape of the bottle (Alsace comes in thin bottles, Rhone in fatter ones) and the size of your roll-aboard Travelpro, you can put a six-pack box in that too. Wrap each bottle in a half or whole page of newspaper.
For a bonus, you are entitled to two carry on packages. You can make one of them a six-pack carton which you carry outside that roll-aboard. I suggest getting a small roll of brown Scotch Packing Tape. You can use this to reseal the boxes after you have opened them to wrap the bottles. Also, by being creative, you can make a handle on the bonus six pack so that you can put that box on top of the roll-aboard. The handle should be positioned so that it does not allow much free play and so that it will hold the box close to the roll-aboard handle as the box rests on the top. This means that an individual can check and carry 30 bottles. If there are two of you...do the math.
OK, so now you have a lot of wine. Be sure to list it on your customs form. If you have to pay for it, it is only about .50 per bottle if it is not sparkling wine. Sparkling is more expensive. That's not much to pay to have good wine that you can't buy at home.
One caution, the US carriers are now charging if your checked bags are too heavy, at least coming back from Europe. United Airline's limit is 25 Kilos (50 Lbs.) They charge $25 if it is overweight. They tell me they are doing this because a heavy plane needs more fuel to take off and fly. Check with your airline for limits.
Sep 15th, 2005, 02:58 PM
#12
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 11,244
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
vno4me - Bravo!! Couldn't have said it better myself. It's not worth the time and paperwork for them to charge you customs for 20 or so bottles of wine.
I had the winery pack a case in Styrofoam and checked it with my baggage and carried 6-8 on board.
I had the winery pack a case in Styrofoam and checked it with my baggage and carried 6-8 on board.
