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+--- Thread: Travelling to Venice (/thread-7536.html)
- planolori - 06-02-2000
I will be in Venice in the coming weeks for an Italian wedding. I want to ship some wine home, and would like any advice on good wines from this region. Are there restrictions on how much wine you can ship back to the US? I prefer red but any suggestions would be helpful.
- mrdutton - 06-02-2000
There are restrictions but I am afraid that I don't remember them exactly.
You can bring about 4 gallons back (or is that 4 quarts?) duty free and after that you have to pay duty fees based on type of beverage and quantity brought back.
If you stay overseas for more than 180 days then much of what you bring back with you would be duty free.
Check with US Customs, they will give you the exact "low-down". You should have access to them locally, but you can find them on the web also - www.customs.ustreas.gov
- Thomas - 06-05-2000
You will not find much wine in Venice proper but there is a lot to be found in the Veneto region.
Get yourself to Valpolicella for some Amarone and Volpolicella wines. In the Colli Euganei region--Padua--you can find truly fine wines at reasonable prices.
And if you like grappa, visit Barsanno del Grappa.
- Garbo - 06-15-2000
We were just there, and enjoyed drinking local house wines but did our buying in Tuscany. We wound up carrying 9 bottles back with us in our luggage and sneaking most through customs, but that would be hard to do if it's in a separate case-sized box. I think the allowance is 2 750 ml bottles per adult, but I'm not sure. At any rate, it's a pain to carry. We tried to find someone who would ship it for us and came up short. Apparently there are weird restrictions not only on sending wine but on sending any package -- must be wrapped in brown paper, tied with string and have a wax seal. None of the wine shops would do it, and the gift shops wouldn't let us pay them to add the wine to a shipment. I suggest slipping your hotel concierge a nice fistful of lire and seeing if he/she might be able to help...
- hotwine - 06-15-2000
I believe Garbo is correct regarding the allowance being two 750 ml bottles per adult, but you should check the Customs website given by Mrdutton to be sure.
Remember we're talking duty-free import; I don't recall restrictions on the number you can bring back that you declare on your customs form, and that you are therefore willing to pay duty on. I once re-entered the States at JFK from Frankfurt carrying four bottles in my briefcase and 15 rolled up in my dirty laundry in a large suitcase, and declared them all. The inspector looked at my customs declaration, then at my stooped shoulders from having carried them, and waved me through, with "Enjoy!" Just be sure to declare them all, and be willing to pay the import duty. And be prepared to feel an awful lot like a pack-mule.