My fiancee and I will be heading to Tuscany for our honeymoon (early September). I plan on bringing some wine back. So, if you have done the same... what is the best way to do so?

I heard the best is to pack it in your carry-on. Is this true? How do you prevent breakage? What is the duty on wine? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

As always, thanks in advance!!!

I own and use an aluminum wine case regularly. I recommend it for travel, especially on the airlines.

A bit expensive but you may get a deal on a factory blemished model. It's going to get scratched up the first time you check it as baggage anyway.

I have a 12 bottle model with wheels. The wheeled model is a must. Be careful though. When it's full it may be over the weight limit on some airlines. They will still let you check it but may charge you extra.

Aluminum Case

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"One may dislike carrots, spinach, beetroot, or the skin on hot milk. But not wine. It is like hating the air that one breathes, since each is equally indispensable."

Marcel Ayme`

The aluminium case that Gigond Ass mentioned would be nice to have but, if not, depending on how much you want to buy, carry on as much as you can handle (and within carry-on bag limits) and check-in the rest.

Find some wine styro boxes in Italy or bring some over with you (which would be a pain to lug around). You should each have a two bag check-in allowance (most airlines) so be sure to use it up!

Shipping wine from Italy to the US is prohibitively expensive - you will probably be better off exceeding your check-in allowance and paying the extra fee (which will be substantial but less than shipping, which may also be illegal). Check with your airline before you go!

I wouldn't worry about duty....usually customs waives wine through. And if they impose a duty it is cheap (pennies on the gallon)! Check this link for State Wine Excise Tax to determine the duty that may be imposed for the state that you will be entering for customs.

Carry as much inside of you as you can. By drinking vast quantities of wine during the honeymoon, you will convert your blood into a fine chianti. Then simply find the nearest Bloodmobile and have them drain it once you are back in the US. And don't forget to post a Tasting Note.

...And don't put your wines in the lockers above your head, but place your carry-on bag in the seat in front of you. Corks might shrink (different presure/temp????) and the bottle can start to leak. This happened to me once with a Niepoort '94 VP.

This is the type of carry-on bag I use, it's got wheels for easy travel.

Although it's designed for 6 bottles, I can regularly put 8 bottles in there and sometimes 9. It can also carry a magnum or two mixed in with 750s.

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www.winebid.com

is it really cost prohibitive to ship back? i wanted to do this.

Thanks all. As far as the cases (pyang and G-Ass where do you guys store these? Do you check them? Or carry them on?

I was thinking of going the route joea mentioned, but after reading Lady R's experience, maybe I won't (I don't think I can fit my carry on under a seat).

Rothko, this has crossed my mind.

Sweet Necter I think it depends. I've heard that if you buy directly from the winery, you can expect to pay around 30-50% less than US bottle shops. However, with the dollar as weak as it is... who knows. Since I'm flying out of JFK, the link joea posted shows I only have to pay $0.19 per gallon that I bring back. So, the taxes are cheap. The only problem is carrying it on the plane.

mwagner7700,

I travel with the bag as a carry-on and store them in the overhead bin. Never had any problems.

I've also checked a case shipper as luggage without any issue on the condition of the wine.

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www.winebid.com

I came back from france with a regular cardboard case filled with wine. I heavily reinforced it with tape and made a strap for it so I could secure it on top of my wheeled luggage and easily carry it on to the plane. Not elegant by any means but got the job done. Necessity is the mother of invention.

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When will I learn?
The answers to life's problems aren't at
the bottom of a bottle! They're on TV!
- Homer Simpson

I would say that I have carried or checked-in wine on 85% of the flights I have taken in the past 5-7 years (probably around 40-50 flights in total) and NEVER had a problem with the wine (either with Customs or wine being damaged).

During these trips I've brought anywhere from a couple of bottles to about 3 cases on some flights - some in carry-on under my seat, in over-head bins, stuffed in suitcases with clothes and in styro wine boxes.

I think going from Europe to the US you are less likely to experience damage to wine packed in styro boxes since they are usually not opened during inspection, whereas in the US they open the box sometimes and don't repack them properly resulting in breakage (never in my experiences but from other's I've heard).

Of course there are rare instances...such as what happened to Lady Roots.

Also...I've never been charged by customs...yet!

I check the case. Too large for carry on. Perhaps the six bottle model could be carried on.

I like the peace of mind of having my wine stored in a metal box. You would pretty much have to smash the box to damage the wine. Anyone else seen some of the luggage belts with that nast drop off onto the conveyor?

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"One may dislike carrots, spinach, beetroot, or the skin on hot milk. But not wine. It is like hating the air that one breathes, since each is equally indispensable."

Marcel Ayme`

I use a Samsonite case similar to these models. I think mine is most like Cannes. Anyways I can get buy a 12 bottle case of wine and place it right in this thing.

Best advice I ever received was in this tiny wine shop in Paris called Le Goutte Dernierre -- I found it after asking an american in our hotel where he'd gotten the neat twined cases of wine. He gave me directions and said the shop would pack up as much wine as I wanted. He then told me to throw out my clothes and bring back as much as I could -- that he'd only been stopped once and asked to pay duty.
I carried back about a case, but wine shop owner informed me that he had many customers who took back as many as 3 cases and rarely had troubles. The bottom line is that the worst that can happen is that you have to pay duty -- a task that requires a good deal of work on the custom agent's part -- I've seen guys get waived through with four cases. My only thought when clearing customs was that I should have bought an entire case of Volnay and another of Ogier Rotie. I also carried on the most expensive bottles. Good luck.

Those wine travel cases are nice and all, but imo not really a necessity. I’ve traveled often with wine. If at all possible I always pack lightly and carry on my luggage, so if it’s a half case or less I’ll just pack it in my carry-on surrounded by clothing and be on my way. If I need to check baggage the same concept applies, though I’m more careful with the padding (clothes still) and a hard case bag is a good idea. Teri and I came back from France with 43 bottles this way – not a single one broken or damaged in any way.

Once ... in the wilds of Afghanistan, I lost my corkscrew, and we were forced to live on nothing but food and water for days. - W. C. Fields

I've shipped wine countless times both from Europe and from the West Coast to the East Coast (with multiple flights). I use the styrofoam shipper inside of the cardboard box inside a suitcase. 1 shipper (one case of wine) per suitcase. I always ship it as baggage- the suitcase is half wine (35 lbs.) and the other half clothes.

I've never had a bottle break or leak. I've never had Customs ask me to pay a duty either. Perhaps I'm just plain lucky!

What's more fun- the pursuit or the consumption?

Hi,

It just so happens that I'm a Customs Broker in Los Angeles. I've also carried 3+ cases from Italy to LAX with absolutely no problem. I used a larft duffle bag with two styro-cases inside and strapped together. It was borderline overweight, but the airline took it. Another case in my bag with clothes and a six-pack in the overhead. No problem. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to inform the readers that there are not regulations about shipping food items tothe U.S. It's not real clear yet that it will apply to "personal purchases", but it might. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has implemented the 2003 "Bio-Terrorism" Act, which began in December 2003. ALL foreign producers of food (including wine) must register with the FDA prior to shipping to the U.S. BEFORE the shipmetns arrive, the FDA is supposed to be informed of the pending arrival using a "Prior Notice" system, which will alert them of food arriving. Currently, they are in a phase-in of the program, and they are not enforcing it to any great extent. However, as time goes on, they can and probalby will deny entry of items arriving before "Prior Notice" has been confirmed. They can also seize it, return it and/or penalize the recipient of the goods. For flagrant violations, there is a mechanism in place to initiate Federal charges. So, in a nutshell, CARRY IT BUT DON'T SHIP IT!

Enjoy your time in Italy, it's the best. I went to VinItaly in Verona 2 years ago. It's a wine lovers dream.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

Ciao for now

Addendum to the above. Sorry, I'm a new member - Should have read it before hitting PostNow. Please ignore the mis-spelled words above. There are "New" regulations, now how it reads above...

Thank you Cal, and welcome.

Can I ask for a clarification? If I were to bring in a case of wine from Europe on the same flight I am on is there duty to be paid neccessarily? Or do I only pay duty if I exceed my exemption? I thought there were limits as to how much booze you can bring in at one time separate from the total value of the goods. Maybe I'm confusing Canadian law, since I know there's a limit there.

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Yes, but I came here for an argument.

Oh! Oh! I'm sorry, this is abuse.

Hi,

I know nothing about Canadian Law. On the U.S. Customs declaration that the airline gives you before you land, you should list all purchased items. There is a notation about one liter of alcohol that you can bring back, but honestly, they have bigger fish to fry. I think the personal duty-free exemption is US$400, and the regulations indicate that amounts exceeding the $400 there is a flat 10% rate. However, in practice, the Customs agents that are reviewing your declarations don't really pay attention to wine. If duty was paid at the applicable rate, it would be approximately $0.063 per Liter for wine not over 14% alcohol. Over 14% alcohol is $0.169 per Liter. The Internal Revenue (IR) tax is higher, but still based upon volume, not value. Overall it's cheap. The Agent who reviews your declaration will not want to take the time to write-up the necessary documentation to collect your payment of what, $2.00 - $3.00? So that is why they waive you through. However, that being said, LIST IT ALL! If you fail to list it, they can seize it from you during the inspection process. You don't want that to happen after you've lugged it all over Italy!

I hope this helps!

We take wine with us on virtually every flight we take. If it's a long trip, we packed the wine in a styrofoam shipper and check it. If it's a maximum of 7 bottles, I wrap them in newspaper and pack them in small duffel bad and carry the bag on the plane, putting it in an overhead compartment.

Just one more sip.

I was in Tuscany and I have travelled to France as well. I typically bring my suit bag (Carry-on on wheels) and a large empty duffel bag. Once I have my wine and am ready to come back, I fill the suitbag with wine - 10 to 12 bottles have gone in and carry those on the plane with me. The duffel bag has my clothes and is checked.

I would never check your wine as I have seen many people with breakage. Not fun if it is a red wine.

The custom employees do not want to know about a few bottles for personal consumption. I don't bother declaring these anymore.

okay, so let me see if I have this, I can buy all that I can carry, I just have to list it on the customs form and maybe pay a fine. Packing in the suitcase should be fine? or should I only buy what I can fit in my carry on?

Sorry, I'm a stickler for terminology. If you list it, there's no fine. MAYBE Customs Duty, but that's a big maybe. If you've read all of the above, you'll see a trend. Customs is interested in Drugs, illegal agricultural products (meats & some dairy products), and smuggled merchandise (fake Rolexes, large amounts of cash etc.), not wine. Smile, be relaxed, (believe it or not) clean and honest, and you'll breeze through. However, if you are of middle eastern descent, you will still probably be scrutinized more closely. It's unwritten, but true.

Used a couple of back country packs and brought 2 cases back very easily - was a bit heavy but workd for me