Wine & chocolate

Of course, it is more than the 3oz liquid limit. If you buy it in the duty free shops behind security then you can carry the bottles on the plnne.

Only purchases made at duty free at the airport may be carried on the plane. HOwever, if you change planes in the U.S., you can't carry it on the sedon plane.

If you buy wine in the Mosel Valley, it will have to go in your checked luggage. And remember, you're only allowed a gallon duty free. After that, you pay.

Hi-
We just came back in March from a trip to France and Germany. We flew in and out of Frankfurt. I got the bright idea that I would bring some wine back. With two of us we brought back 21 bottles of wine and champagne. Since we were allowed 2 check throughs apiece, I decided to check through 2 boxes of wine. The winery where we bought the wine said their box would be OK - not so. One of the bottles broke in the case of 12. I was lucky that it was the only one that broke. The box that I packed made it fine - I went to great lengths to pack it properly. I would recommend that if you are going to bring back a pretty good amount and you can pack it in a separate suitcase it would be the best thing to do. I would take an extra piece of luggage and put some of that plastic bubble material to pack the wine in. This would be only if you are a serious wine drinker. If you are just going to bring back a small amount and pack it in your only check through - be sure and pack it well and take a heavy plastic bag and seal it well. Any kind of leakage will cause you a problem. The duty after all said and done for my wine was a huge $3.00. It is really nothing. You just need to remember to declare it. Sometimes they don't even charge you. The customs person that checked me was a big help. He helped me clean up the mess and re pack my box - even providing the tape. That was my first experience with a large quantity of wine. Also watch your weight if you want to keep it at 50#. I already have a way of bringing wine back on my next trip. I have designed a suitcase just for that. The winery was going to charge me Euro 130.00 to ship it back. With the broken bottle - it just cost me Euro 30.00. I brought back Dom Perignon also at Euro 135 a bottle and the duty is no different than cheap wine - it is based on alcohol content only - not price.
Good Luck!! Bill

Be aware (some) airlines do not allow liquids in checked baggage.

I'm not aware of any airlines that prohibit liquids in checked bags. (Obviously flammable or corrosive liquids are a no-go for all airlines.)

Could you tell us which airlines have this rule?

I have traveled to Europe many times and always brought back wine and especially German schnapps. Just pack it your the checked bags and wrap it tight with plastic or clothes. For chocolate I usually dump all my travels books from my carry into my checked bags for the return home. That way I know that even if the suitcase is left around out on the tarmac the chocolate won’t melt. And as stated declare the items on the customs forms. Lastly with the wine just watch the weight, it is easy to go over the baggage limit with allot of wine bottles. If that is something you want to watch just get a travel scale and weigh your bags after your final packing. I have had to switch bottles and books from bag to bag to keep them all under the weight restrictions and having incurring any extra cost.