165536 Wed Apr 24 11:39:41 -0700 2002 11 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 884399 Joe H. had posted about purchasing wine (by the case) abroad. I'm assuming he shipped it home... Can anyone give me tips on how to ship cases of wine while travelling? Are there regulations that apply, and what's the best way to ensure that they'll be shipped properly? Thanks, all! Wed Apr 24 11:39:41 -0700 2002 0 Saucy 1 884402 If you live in Maryland, please be aware that direct shipping of wine to virtually anywhere in the state (including your house or the local wine store) was made a FELONY as of 1999. I know the 2002 legislative session which just passed contained a compromise bill to allow limited shipping to licensed Maryland wholesalers (or some such nonesense), but I don't know the outcome of the bill. Please be careful, this comes under the jurisdiction of our Comptroller, and this is something which Schaefer takes seriously. Wed Apr 24 14:03:57 -0700 2002 884399 0 asun 2 884405 Maryland residents may feel free to ship to my address in the District for a single handling fee of one bottle per case. Delivery charge to the Maryland suburbs is an additional bottle, per case. Storage costs are an additional bottle, per year, per case. A small price to pay. Smile. Hey, if this gets big enough, I'll need a larger cellar! Wed Apr 24 14:34:34 -0700 2002 884402 0 Bill 3 884409 I've actually had Leonetti shipping to Schneider's for the past couple of years. I've been on their mailing list since 1991, before the Wine Spectator called their merlot "America's Greatest" which was around '94. This year Leonetti refused to ship to ANY STATE EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI other than West Virginia. Not even D. C. I had to have them ship to a friend's house in CA where I took the plain brown boxes (less a bottle per box) and shipped them home myself via Fed Ex. Before they told me no I was actually going to ask you if you could receive them for me. In any event when we get together in a couple of weeks I'll open a bottle or two. Wed Apr 24 14:57:33 -0700 2002 884405 0 Joe H. 1 884404 I live in Reston and there is litigation right now to try and repeal a VA law prohibiting the out of state shipment of wine. Generally speaking you cannot LEGALLY ship wine into the state of VA from elsewhere. I shipped wine from Panzano in Chianti in Tuscany several years ago. They were two six pack cases of '97 Cepperello which the Wine Spectator had ranked as the number 3 wine of the year. The cost per bottle in Panzano was 80,000 lira or about $35.00 per bottle. At the time Cepperello-if you could find it-was going for about $100 a bottle here because of the WS ranking. Normally it would have been somewhere between $55 and 70. The wine was held up at customs and I had to use an importer in Alexandria and pay a fee ($250), a wholesaler and pay a fee and then find a retail store that would sign off on the deal for a fee. Then there was the nominal customs fee ($20 total?). Anyway after these payoffs (and, yes, that is exactly what they seemed like) the total cost of the Cepperello including the $150 shipping was about $1,200 or the amount that it was selling for by bottle here. The cost in Italy was a bit over $400. Until the law is changed it is dangerous and expensive to ship into Virginia and, I believe, actually a felony. Wineries will no longer do it and dealers are becoming increasingly more reluctant. I carry wine back on the plane in my baggage as well as a carryon. Even though there is a limit I have never had a problem with customs even with as many as 12 750 ml bottles and three magnums (approximately) spread over several suitcases and a carryon. The only downside to this is the wine is heavy as hell! I also bring back olive oil and balsamic vinegar by the way. What I call "vintage" olive oil (i.e. olive oil from a winery with the year and the bottle number stamped on it) can cost $35 to 40 a bottle here for a 750 ml bottle. There, again, it is about half. The same is true for 12 year old balsamic and when you get into 20, 30 and 40 year old, red silver and gold label (the last here is almost $200 for about 100 ml or about 4 ounces) the difference can be even greater. Plus it's very difficult to find a lot of this here even at Sutton Place or Dean and DeLuca. How many people have seen 30 or 40 year old gold label Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale? Each bottle is dated and numbered. I had another post on the General topics board about risotto. In America there's often only one generic kind of arborio available. Some places add two more with carneroli and violane nano. I've driven on a road by a rice field in Biella where there were six or seven types of arborio growing. Several of these are unavailable here. If you go into a small store in Biella the highest grade of, say, carneroli is about one quarter the price of what it would be here-if you could find it. D. C. is different. I believe that you can get an import license and have it shipped directly to you. Maryland, like VA is in a state of change but for the moment I believe it's still closed. Bottom line: Wrap old socks, towels, shirts, etc. around wine bottles which you pack in a hard shell suitcase and have a STRONG carry on bag that can support thirty pounds and will hold up to ten 750 ml bottles. If you have a suitbag you can fit another three to four bottles in inside pockets using dirty laundry and towels and then folding the bag over for the coats to provide additional padded protection. This can then be checked with the suitcase. Do not lie on the declaration form. Put down wine. Don't lie and say olive oil if you have wine. Just be honest in what you are carrying. If they go through your luggage for whatever reason they'll just think (correctly!) that you are a wino and will talk sympathetically about you after you leave. Don't bring back salami or meats. The Dulles beagles are fat and efficient. Some of this they can sniff from a hundred yards. Especially before dinner. Wed Apr 24 14:33:15 -0700 2002 884399 0 Joe H. 2 884410 Actually, the US District court in VA said that the ban of selling out of state wine through the mail and ABC stores was unconstitutional, but placed the order on hold to give the state time to appeal. Link: http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Daily/News/1,1145,1660,00.html Wed Apr 24 15:54:20 -0700 2002 884404 0 Newbie 3 884411 This happened before I placed my order with Leonetti. Still, they refused to ship to me and also refused to hold the wine pending the decision of the appeal. Wed Apr 24 16:44:26 -0700 2002 884410 0 Joe H. 2 884413 Like Joe H. I was able to bring about a case of various wines & spirits from Italy in my carry-ons. I also had some olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Yes, the bags were VERY heavy. My original intention was to ship these, but no packaging/shipping center in Rome or Florence would ship alcohol whatsoever. More than anything, US Customs was concerned about the olive oils and balsamic vinegars as they wanted to make sure that I was not tracking in any unaccustomed bacteria on from the farms where I had purchased them. I think the rule for wine and spirits is 2 bottles per person, but it was completely overlooked along with Cuban cigars (sans-labels). However, this was prior 9/11 so I'm not sure if they are adhering to the rules more closely. Thu Apr 25 08:52:39 -0700 2002 884404 0 Moe Green 3 884418 The beagle and I are still well acquainted. Not only does he know salami but he also knows me. Thu Apr 25 11:00:09 -0700 2002 884413 0 Joe H. 2 884421 It is my impression that it is not illegal to ship wine to Virginia, but rather it is illegal for wineries to ship directly to customers in Virginia. I have shipped wine to myself from California and overseas, and only had to deal with customs and excise once, when the shipment was of my personal household effects returning with me from a long overseas assignment (and that included a lot of spirits). You can therefore send yourself whatever you buy overseas, but be prepared to pay tax (both federal and state) upon its arrival (it's not a lot of money, though, so not really a disincentive). Thu Apr 25 12:11:06 -0700 2002 884404 0 James G 3 884428 I think many people have this same understanding, both in Virginia and Maryland. I have also been to wineries in California that believe it's okay to ship wine if the person is shipping to himself and herself. While difficult to stop, I would be careful. In Maryland, this isn't true and the crime is a felony. In Virginia, it's a misdemeanor. The link I've enclosed is the actual law prohibiting any shipment of alcholic beverages. Link: http://leg1.state.va.us/000/lst/LH507964.HTM Thu Apr 25 14:38:31 -0700 2002 884421 0 asun 4 884436 I may have stated my understanding unclearly--it is *not* legal to ship wine to yourself from a winery (since that is really the winery shipping it to you). However, if you buy the wine and then take it to a shipping agent elsewhere you can then ship it to yourself. This is done all up and down Napa Valley and other wine areas in the US, apparently without resulting litigation. Thu Apr 25 19:47:14 -0700 2002 884428 0 James G