We are very excited for the wine experience aspect of our trip to Italy. While we will certainly be purchasing quite a bit of vino, the idea of carting it around with us for the remainder of our trip is not exactly appealing. Do the wineries/enotecas (particularly in the Chianti/Tuscany area) ship wine back to the States (Texas)? Anyone have experience with this? What is a general idea of cost to do so? Any further insights with this would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7033 posts
Whether or not you are permitted to ship wine to yourself is determined by individual state laws. You might try googling 'texas law regarding wine shipping' and see what comes up.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23268 posts
Go to you local FedEx or UPS office and ask them. They will know the regulations for shipping and receiving wine. You have to be in a state that permits shipments to an individual. Second the cost of shipping will match or exceed the cost of the wine. If you buy it from a good wine seller or winery they will know how to ship it. They could have a min - say six bottles. Just ask them. You will not be the first. You should also ask them who their importer or distributor is in the USA.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11318 posts
We have done this from Tuscany and Umbria to Oregon. As others have pointed out, you need to make certain your state will allow the shipments. The wineries we dealt with were up-to-speed on U.S. import laws, though.
It is expensive, do not kid yourself! But it is a way to get memorable wines, which we found to be a fun part of sharing our trips with friends over dinners in the U.S. I cannot estimate the cost, but if you are interested just ask at any winery you visit.
Also, there's a great enoteca on the main street in Montalcino where you can taste wines to your heart's content and they will ship.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23268 posts
Just did a quick goggle search. Try Texas Wine import laws. A quick read suggests that Texas is not very friendly towards wine being shipped to individuals. It is permitted but the hoops are many and large and may be only limited to US wineries. Certainly no retail shops. Not the final word but it may be tricky.
Posted by
824 posts
Shipping wine home is not only expensive, you will need to pay the duty. This can amount to quite a bit. On several occasions traveling to Italy and Germany, acquaintances I was traveling with ended up paying three times what they could have purchased the same wine at home once the shipping and duty was added in. Unless the winery is a very one, it's likely you'll be able to find the wine at home.
Posted by
Granite Bay, CA
111 posts
I have great memories, and even a few bottles left, of a case of Brunello I bought and shipped back to CA in 2005.
Les Barriques in Montalcino handled the shipping, and the cost was $100 for the case. They thought it would take 6-8 weeks to arrive, but it actually arrived in 3 weeks, with no damage. As far as the cost of the case, since it was 1999 Brunello, it was 20% less than what the bottles eventually sold for in CA.