importing wine

[tajordan]

Hi, I am new here, and i have a question or questions, I am going to Italy and visiting a vineyard and if i am interested in bringing wine bottles back,
how many can i bring through customs??
can i ship them from italy to USA??
i could use as much help on this as possible
thank you

[winoweenie]

Tajordan , Welcome to the board. You`re in an area that few of us can comfortably give advice as the law , if broken, doesn`t give you any lee-way for OOPS!, That sucker told me wrong. Jail be Heck!.Yhe small amount you can bring back legally before duties kick in are so small it doesn`t make sense to even contemplate it. Find a wine you like, Find out the importer , buy the sucker when you return. Believe me, NOTHING is worth the aggravation of dealing with the feds for a case or 10.Bought some juice at Christies London, would rather get a root canal than go thru what it took ( AND the expense) to get them in my cellar. Use a number 2, a piece of paper and make a few phone calls on return. You`ll be happy. Winoweenie

[JBOY]

I travel to France often and would like to bring back cases for sale to friends and family etc. I've been to small vinyards in the French Southwest that are great. How do I bring in small quantities? I live in the Boston area? What licenses do I need? For importing? For labeling? Taxes? etc. THANKS.

[Thomas]

As for a traveler bringing wine back from another country: you are allowed as much as you want, provided you declare it and pay all the duties after you reach the maximum volume, which is about a gallon a person. But I do not think you will get away with trying to bring in a pallet of wine without first applying for an importer's license.

In any event, you can call US Customs for the accurate answer.

Generally, in order to import wines you need licenses from the feds and from your state. Check with the state alcohol control people first; they will clue you in.