Shipping wine home from Europe

I suggest asking the same question in the Porto forum on Trip Advisor where there might be some local experts.

We did go to Mailboxes Etc. They were great. We shipped 6 bottles for 105€. These were obscure Portuguese varietals that we have never tried. They have all the legal authorization to ship to USA. We are two days into a month long trip, so while we considered another suitcase, dragging it around Europe was not appealing.

You can also ask when buying the wine if the store will ship it for you.

One thing in the US about shipping wine home is that your home state has to permit the shipment of wine to your address. Many states do not and the wine becomes stuck in a warehouse. I would work with a wine dealer who knows how to do it.

We did this in Tuscany, used MailBoxes Etc to ship a case home to US from Tuscany. Wine was so inexpensive that shipping cost was equal to the wine’s cost. Arrived safely, worth the cost.

That's interesting. Over the years I have noted that many wine vendors will ship anyplace in the world, but the US; because of the reasons Frank points out. The problem is not federal regulation it is state regulation and every state is different. But you guys got it done and that's great.

The last time i got wine home I bought a cheap suit case at a Budapest flea market and used these https://www.amazon.com/Protector-Inflatable-Packaging-Airplane-Transport/dp/B08H5B2J58/ref=sr_1_5?crid=6RRJZVR8O2WU&keywords=wine+shipping+packaging&qid=1644943366&sprefix=wine+shipping+%2Caps%2C266&sr=8-5

Because on that trip I was traveling only with carryon and my Turkish Air ticket had a free checked bag the shipping was the cost of the bag (about $20 if my memory is correct) and the packaging (about $15). But granted, bringing the wine home had to be planned in advance to know to bring the packaging.

Do check to see what your state allows. Oklahoma has only recently changed to allow wines to be shipped in, but not all vendors had the news the last time we were in Europe.

Oh, and we love Portuguese wines! They are becoming favorites at our house.

We live in Florida and have shipped multiple cases from France and Italy, with great success. In all cases, we've used the shipping company recommended by the winery where we purchased the wine. Sometimes it takes a little while to arrive - on our recent trip to France in November 2021, we shipped home 6 cases of wine that just arrived last month - but we've never had any issues and we love having these souvenirs from our trips.

When we were in Italy in 2019, the wineries we visited used IWS shipping. The wine was packaged and mailed directly from the winery to our doorstep in Florida for 150 euros. I'm not sure if they have locations across Italy or not. Good luck!

The first place to ask would in my opinion be the place where you bought it. Especially if you ask before you buy it, that can be very affordable.

We ship wine home from Europe on every trip (France, Italy, etc.) We use the shipping company the winery uses as a first choice, but have used Mailboxes Etc. as well. All have worked out well. Mailboxes Etc. sells the proper boxes and shipping materials as well. Be sure to consider the weather when shipping and the temperatures. Often wineries, won't ship if the temperatures are too hot. Instead, they will hold your wine for you until the weather is better suited to protecting the wine.

Cheers!