shipping wine to Kansas

It is totally dependent on Kansas liquor laws and I would not depend on any advice from this site other than to check very carefully with your liquor commission.

My hunch would be that to follow all of the requirements imposed by customs and probably the Kansas Liquor board, the answer would be either "No" or "very expensive". Even just shipment of the wine could run you $10 or more a bottle, some states require that you purchase an importers permit, some require that you go through a distributor (for a fee), the mine field of regulations is dizzying. I would also not rely on Vineyards or wine shops there that assure you they do it all the time, there is just no way that they can fully understand the requirements if 50 plus governmental entities to assure that your wine will arrive safe and sound. Search for previous discussions, but my advice would be to find a selection of bottles while there, then carefully pack them in your checked luggage, (using dirty clothes or bubble wrap) for the trip home. Between my wife and I, we can usually pack about a case of wine and stay under weight limits. In multiple trips, we have never "lost" a standard bottle of wine.

I think we will probably do that (pack a bottle or two in our checked luggage) I'll bring some bubble wrap and a plastic bag and hope for the best! I've heard even though "they" say you can bring a liter or two per person as a carryon it often gets taken by customs etc.. with the new liquid laws on airlines etc...not worth the chance of having to throw out a wonderful bottle of wine!

Kelly

I don't know about Kansas law, but it IS very expensive to ship. We had a case shipped from Florence in Oct 08 and JUST the shipping charges came to about $120. It was one of our trip splurges that we budgeted for. We simply did not want to haul a case of wine on trains around the country.

Kelly, you cannot carry bottles of wine (or anything else for that matter) through security in your carryon luggage. It has to be in checked luggage. Once through security you can buy wine in a Duty Free shop and carry on the plane BUT -- that can create another problem. If you do not fly directly to your home airport you will go through immigration/customs somewhere else in the US and then you have to go through security again for the local connection. Which means, that any liquid purchased in the duty free has to go into the checked luggage. It is not easy bringing wine home.

Yes, nothing in carry-on, only checked. I might also advise that when you are filling out your customs form on the way home, make sure you declare your wine. You may see reference to limits, I think currently it may be two liters per person, this is a "duty free" limit, meaning on those bottles you will owe no US import duties(tax). Technically, you do owe duty on anything over, but I have never had to pay and I have never heard of anyone else having to. As for any limits, the Federal Government actually imposes no limit.

We brought back from germany 7 bottleds in checked luggage, hard-sided of course,last year. We took bubble wrap and wraped the wine with and then placed a sock over it all to hold it in place, packed in the center of the suitcase. We declared all on the customs form and cleared customs with no problem. I am not saying that it would happen all of the time with the Custom Service but in the three times I have been overseas and brought wine back nothing has happened at the customs.
Good Luck
Jim