My husband and I will be in France in July and really want to be able to bring multiple bottles of wine and champagne back that aren't available in the states. Last time we went we only had a few bottles and brought them back in our checked luggage, but we're packing lighter this time, and will likely have to ship it back. Anyone know anything about this? Or have any tips, tricks, etc? I know some of the wine makers won't ship it for you since they don't export to the US....
Thanks!
When I lived in Washington it was illegal to ship wine privately; this was quite some time ago. Have the laws changed on that? It does differ state to state.
You are probably better bringing a couple of cases back as checked luggage; it is unlikely you will be charged duty and it is certainly cheaper than shipping.
First, if you visit any wine producers, ask if they have any distributors in the U.S. If they do, you may be able to hold off buying until you get back.
The last time I was in Paris, I visited this wine shop. They had a nice selection and couls ship to the States. The shipping cost was way too much for me. However, you might try emailing them to get an idea of the cost. They have English speaking staff.
http://www.ladernieregoutte.net/vins/contact_us.php
http://parisbymouth.com/our-guide-to-paris-la-derniere-goutte/
Hi Kassie.
I agree that bringing (checked baggage) up to a case back in something like this http://www.thewinecheck.com is the best option. If you want more than a case then you probably need to find a wine shop that will ship it it you. In Montalcino, Italy there is the Enoteca on the piazza that will ship Italian wine at no charge once you get back home. Ask if there is a place like that in the areas that you visit in France.
You can bring back up to one liter per adult without paying duty. After that it gets a little tricky.
If you bring back more than one liter per adult, technically it's subject to duty. Since figuring the duty is a major chore, however, many customs officers won't charge you anything for relatively small amounts above your duty-free limit.
Be sure to declare whatever you have. If the officer want's to, they can definitely cut you a break - honesty is always the best policy.
On the other hand, if an officer doesn't want to cut you a break, they can make it difficult. The worst possible case is an officer judging your wine to be for resale (they have authority to do so), in which case you have to get an importer's license and pay duty - usually at a much higher cost than the wine is worth. Ports of entry destroy cases and cases of wine that's abandoned rather than claimed because of the cost. This usually happens to people who don't declare their wine (or other item), then deny it again when asked directly.
It's never a crime to bring too much home (though it may result in duties), it's a crime to try to smuggle things in (fail to declare them).
The state you're heading to matters as well. The customs officer has to enforce not only federal rules but also your destination state. Wine producing states are generally more restrictive on bringing in wine.
Yes, the first thing you need to do is check out (by looking at someplace for example in NY) online to see if they will ship to Washington state. Then you'll understand if vendors are even able to ship to your state.
We just brought back 6 bottles from France. We've brought as much as 9 bottles back on prior occasions. We've always declared what we have, and never had to pay duty. Plus, duty is minimal -- maybe as low as 35 cents/bottle -- which is probably why Customs doesn't bother with it. And as several have mentioned, the worst thing you can do is not declare it and try to slip it through.
A couple of years ago I brought back 25 bottles of wine and champagne from Frankfurt to Dallas. I purchased them in France. The place where we bought the cases of wine said they were packed OK. They were not. We only lost one bottle of wine. Albeit it was a 35 Euro bottle. Lesson learned was that you need to double wrap your wine - for example - put the case of wine within another padded case. Try to make each "case" just under 50 pounds. We were able to bring back all of the bottles at a minimal cost. It is cheaper than shipping. We packed the bottles of Dom Perignon securely in our check through luggage and the rest went in cases. The customs agent in Dallas was a great help. He helped us to clean up the one broken bottle and tape up our battered box. The duty for all this? Only $3.50. The duty for wine is hardly anything, so you don't want to try and pull a fast one. I have heard that sometimes they just wave you on through. We arrived late at night, and they were not very busy, so we got a lot of attention. Next time we do this I am going to pack some plastic packing material and maybe purchase a bag or take an extra empty bag. Was it worth it? We think so!! I don't think the shipping thing will work.
Thanks - Bill
