hello,

i am living in Belgium and see the prices in usa are much higher for wine as in europe.

So i was wondering why usa people don't buy there wine more directly from france.

Norwin

shipping for a 12 pack for an individual alone would not justify us in ny to buy directly from france.

thats, the same here in Belgium. But why you don't buy in group for example.

importing wine into the US requires an importer license. The cost to get a license is at least 4000 Euro's.

quote:

Originally posted by Stefania Wine:
importing wine into the US requires an importer license. The cost to get a license is at least 4000 Euro's.

On top of that I believe due to the new anti terrorism laws, liquids over a certain amount can be potential bio hazards and would require other oversights and hoops to jump through.

We had a discussion on the port forum on trying to bring a barrel in =)

quote:

Originally posted by norwin:
So i was wondering why usa people don't buy there wine more directly from france.

Because the shipping from Napa Valley is already a killer.

I don't buy wine from France because I can find very nice wines in California, Oregon and Washington. No reason to pay the freight all the way from France, plus with the Euro vs Dollar the US wines are a better deal.

duck, you should check out www.premiercru.net I buy my french wines from them, Mostly Cdp and Bordeaux on futures and the wines cost alot less from them than retail when they make it to the shelves in minneapolis. They also ship UPS and it only costs $30 to ship a mixed case to my doorstep. they are located in Emeryville california and are cool to deal with.

In order to import wines into the US, you need COLA forms from the producer to give to customs. Otherwise, yes its too expensive and with the Euro blasting to the moon, soon even the French will only be able to afford those wines. Thats why you see Napa cult wineries like Screaming Eagle, Harlen, and Igneous and others moving upwards. Production is small on those wines yet they are easily accessible. However you will find that with the waiting lists on there, you see the same conundrum as ticket scalpers waiting for the next hot show.

all depends on shipping rates and the volume you needs.

Fist of all you needs to have an importer in the usa
Importers seeking to import beverage alcohol into the U.S. for commercial reasons must apply for an Importer’s permit “Application for Basic Permit under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act”. Note: You must also apply for a Wholesaler’s Basic Permit if you plan to sell alcohol beverages other than what you directly import with your Importer’s Basic Permit. Both permits may be applied for with the above TTB form).
The importer must also obtain a TTB-issued Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) for each unique product/label. Importers of natural wine produced after December 31, 2004, must comply with certification requirements set forth under the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 to ensure that the practices and procedures used to produce the imported wine constitute proper cellar treatment. For some grape wines imported from countries with which the U.S. has an enological practices agreement, no certification is required. Please refer to our list of excepted countries for a description of the excepted wines.

The importer must also meet all State and local requirements. State and local jurisdictions may have their own importation requirements in addition to Federal requirements. Importers must contact their State alcohol control board and/or local authorities for more information.
The importer must ensure that the producer of the alcohol beverage is registered with the FDA and provide FDA with advance notification of an importation. FDA administers these requirements which are part of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002. You may also visit the FDA’s Bioterrorism Act website for more information.
Importers are responsible for all applicable Federal excise taxes and duties. For more information on excise taxes, please see our tax and fee rates page. For information on duties, visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Duty Rates website.
for tansport to usa : ( example from Bordeaux to usa)
POINT OF ORIGIN: BILBAO CFS
DESTINATION ROUTING Per Cubic Meter Per Metric Ton Minimum CARRIERS TRANSIT TIME

New York CFS Direct $108 $108 1 cbm/MT ATL 10 days
Miami CFS Via New York $120 $120 1 cbm/MT ATL 10 days to NYC

POINT OF ORIGIN: MARSEILLES CFS
DESTINATION ROUTING Per Cubic Meter Per Metric Ton Minimum CARRIERS TRANSIT TIME

New York CFS Direct $115 $115 1 cbm/MT ATL 12 days
Miami CFS Via New York $127 $127 1 cbm/MT ATL 12 days to NYC

SURCHARGES & ACCESSORIALS
Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) Inclusive
Port Security Surcharge Inclusive
Customs Entry Fee $125/entry
Duty At cost
Document Service Charge $75/shipment
New York/Miami CFS Charges At cost




I have obtained origin charges from our office in Le Havre, and your total costs on one pallet of wine (1.2 cbms, 750 kgs) from Bordeaux to New York (via Le Havre as per their recommendation) would be as follows:

Trucking from Bordeaux to Warehouse 190 euros
Warehouse Receiving/Stuffing Fee 40 euros per metric ton or 3 cbm, minimum 40 euros
Customs Export Fee 65 euros
Export Handling/AP Fees 94 euros
International Ship & Port Security Fee 2 euros
Ocean Freight, Le Havre to New York USD 70.00 (at $70 per cbm or MT, minimum $70)

If we made a calculation of the prices per pallet of 600 bottles bordeaux at 1.6 euro (2.9$) if the wine is registrated and importered by a official importer price per bottle including taxes and transport etc will be arround 3.99$-4.5$ a bottle for a bordeaux wine taken by the pallet and picked up in a warehouse in usa.

info@winesurplus.net

quote:

Originally posted by norwin:
hello,

i am living in Belgium and see the prices in usa are much higher for wine as in europe.

So i was wondering why usa people don't buy there wine more directly from france.

Norwin

And here I thought this was just an innocent question. Should have reminded myself what forum this is.

I don't know too many people who buy 600 bottles of bordeaux a year for their personal consumption.

Even if you got a group of 6 people together to chip in, that would still be a fair amount of bordeaux to buy each year. Given the fact that deals can be found on wines from "up and coming" regions (such as Oregon, Washington, Argentina, Portugal, etc...), it seems unlikely that I would want to invest so much in French wines.

norwin,

And what are you paying for good quality California Cabernet in Belgium? If you can find it at all.

We'll be in France soon. I don't expect to buy much at all, unless I can find some small bottlings I haven't seen in the US.

quote:

Originally posted by norwin:
if the wine is registrated and importered by a official importer price per bottle including taxes and transport etc will be arround 3.99$-4.5$ a bottle for a bordeaux wine taken by the pallet and picked up in a warehouse in usa.

So, in addition to the $4-4.50, what would a pallet of Latour direct from the Chateau, cost in France? Let's say for the 2005 vintage.