Importing wine

[Thraz]

Hello, I would like to find out how to import wine into Illinois (from abroad, not other states...). I am starting from scratch, looking for guidance on: state regulations; federal regulations; costs; different types of import licences and what they mean (can an importer sell only to distributors, or retail/restaurants as well? etc.) - and everything else I can't even think of.

Does anyone know of a relevant publication, or who to contact in the IL and US governments? Would any importers out there be interested in (cheap) help dealing with French winemakers in their language so I can learn a bit by experience?

Thanks,

Thraz