Still not quite what I was asking - interesting though. My question, in simple terms, is how much wine can I bring back into the US without having to declare anything? I understand I can bring "tons" of wine and pay. And I understand that the cost is de minimis. I was relaying info from the folks at YYZ when I was transiting back to the US, and that info was different that anything else that I had read. If I can avoid waiting for customs I'd rather just walk on through. However, to repeat, the only time I've heard numbers such as 1 gallon of wine and no declaration was ~2 weeks ago. Were the YYZ folks correct?
Cheers
Originally Posted by
Gaucho100K
All wines are well below the (alcohol) level of Spirits, with the notable exception of fortified wines (ie. Port and port-style wines), so unless you are dwelling into that category you dont neet to worry about them. Also, even if you did, Port is still wine so the chances of a Customs person looking into the alcohol % of your bottles of Port are very slim - although Im not suggesting anybody try to game US Customs... Im just stating the probabilities.
GE procedure specific issues aside, the bottom line is Uncle Sam doesnt give a hoot about wines, I have customers that regularly bring back 3 (three) cases of wines and they declare every single bottle, they have never been written up. Yes, if you have and use GE then you may get into secondary because the system is optimized to handle regular business travel with nothing over the normal allowance, but in the end, then chances of you getting written up and taxed on wine is less than 1%. Just declare is, explain that its not for resale, and you will be fine. I offer a money back guarantee for my customers taking wine into the USA and in 8 years in the business Ive been called upon to refund the taxes in all but 3 (three) instances - and I have clients entering the US with my wine at least 5-6 times a month.
Even if you find a loonie at customs willing to charge you, the cost will be a joke, so dont worry about it....