I could have sworn I posted this already, but it's nowhere to be found. Weird.

I'm travelling LGW-IAH-MSY and I hope to transport 6 bottles of wine. I know that I'll have to pay import taxes on everything past 1 (or is it 2?) liters. I've heard that most airlines have some sort of box designed specifically for checking and transporting bottles of wine. Can anyone corroborate this, and are they available at LGW? What's the protocol on this? Thanks in advance.

I'm transported wine from the west coast (to NYC) several times. My advice: the best is to carry it on board, especially if it's rare and/or expensive wine. Get a couple of the 3-pack carriers and plop them in the overhead.

However, some of the larger wine shops (perhaps duty free at LGW) have boxes with styrofoam inserts that work great. I know a couple stores in San Francisco that have these but have no clue about London.

Good Luck and Happy Drinking!

For Christmas this year, I decided to get my mom a few bottles of her favorite wine--which cannot, as far as I can tell, be purchased in MN. As I was buying it, I started thinking about how big of a pain it was going to be to transport it from LAX to MSP (this last thanksgiving) I started talking to a woman at the store who suggested I bring 6 bottles and put it in one of those carriers you can find at Vons/safeway...so I was thinking I'd swing by vons and pick one of those up after I bought the wine. Anyhow, I decided to one up that idea and bring a whole case. It was much easier and the bottles are better protected in the box than if I had taken them out. Security did have to open it up and examine each individual bottle, but the box fit nicely in the overhead of an A320. The only negative aspect was carrying the box with me into the mens room at MSP...for what its worth.

I have transported as many as 12 bottles of wine in my carry-one back from Italy to the US and have never paid taxes, etc. or had problems on Continental.

I've brought up to 4 bottles of bizarre Dutch egg liqueur back from AMS and, on another trip, 4 or 5 bottles of champagne (plus a somewhat obscene quantity of Belgian chocolate) on a flight from CDG and have never been asked for taxes on it (nor does the customs form ask anything about the quantity of booze - just the $ value of the stuff you bought).

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Life's a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Auntie Mame

I've brought 6 bottles at a time of Aguardiente back from Colombia and have never had a problem. The customs declaration form just asks for dollar amounts. I had them in my carryon, and just wrapped them in socks, and separated them with tshirts.

[This message has been edited by ColombianoNtx (edited 12-13-2001).]

I've declared dutiable alcohol returning from Canada by car & been dismissed by Customs several times, esp. Niagara Falls. Land borders in the prairies tend to be stricter, as inspectors have time on their hands. At airports I have cleared Customs duty-free bag in hand, & the taxes have never been collected. Also, the others are right about the ? on the form.
If you're unlucky enough to get a strict inspector, combined duty & Internal Revenue tax is a buck or three a bottle.
In conclusion, collecting $10 tax from you would distract Customs & INS from the more important mission of catching cocaine dealers & terrorists.

Does anyone have any experience checking a case of wine for a domestic trip on CO? I understand they won't be held liable for breakage of glass, but will they at least accept a case and try to handle it with care?

Or is it better to carry the case on board? Will it even fit into the overhead compartment? The fellow above seemed to say that it did on an A320. What about a 738?

It's not expensive wine at all, it doesn't matter if some is lost. Will they even give it a try?

I don't think you should check it. Just carry it on board.

I order wine that is shipped via FedEx and other freight carriers via ground. As long as it's appropriately packaged, why not check it? Esp if you do'nt really care that much about it

Yes this is what I'm thinking. But can anyone tell me if it will be handled with care if checked? Has anyone done this?

BTW, the wine is a case of Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon (nee "two buck chuck"), for a friend back home that wants some plentiful and good cheap wine. It really doesn't matter if they're broken, but I'd prefer they weren't.

I checked six bottles of wine back in October on CO on they way back from California, and all bottles survived the two flights and a connection from terminals C to A at Newark. I didn't worry much about the bottles, though, as I had them packed in a box with the styrofoam inserts.

If I remember correctly, CO didn't put "Fragile" stickers or anything like that on the box, but come to think of it, I don't think I even told the agent that wine was inside the box that I was checking.

I've posted this about 20 times in the past, but here we go again:

I have brought back from europe 12-18 bottles of wine on many occasions. I have never paid duty. duty on 12 bottles is $3-4. I have even paid $500 duty on merchandise I was carrying in, and the wine was duty free.

There are state (maybe local) laws governing wine movement. In theory, customs officials enforce those laws. No such law in MD(bwi) or VA(iad). Do not know about the rest of the USA.

Packing.
1.The standard(professional) way wineries and the online retailers ship fine wines is to use a 225 lb(rating) cardboard box with styrafoam seperators. Made mainly in 12 packs, but also 6 packs. I have only moved 12 packs. I put it in a maxi (64") roller and check it. The wine usually weighs out at about 47 or 48lbs. The luggage adds 10 lbs, and puts one over the 50lb limit. Unzip the bag, show the GA the empty bag plus box, and they will usually check the pair.

If you are in the DC area, I can give you a box or two to carry over.

2. Do it yourself method. Get a good hardsided suitcase(antique sampsonite). Line the entire outside, and the center with big bubble bubblewrap. Put paper mache burgundy wine bottle separators down the middle of each side. This will hold up to 18 bottles. at 18btls, weighs about 75lbs. make certain the handle on the bag will support 75 lbs.

Carry on. Make certain you can add 25lbs to your carryon if you carry 6 bottles.

Champagne is heavier with all that glass.

Unless you are going to wineries in Italy or france, the prices in usa are very close to shelf prices in europe.

I have brought many bottles of wine back from Europe and have never had any issue, though I do make sure to declare it at customs.

For IAH, there is a 2 litter of alcohol per person limit. I had to pay duties on wine only once. I got stopped because of a bag of poppy seeds my boss asked me to bring back for his wife. It was the kind used in the bakeries not the illegal kind. Unfortunately, the agent did not want to take any chances. Once I got stopped for the poppy seeds, they decided to go through the trouble of taxing the extra bottles of wine. It was not a lot of money but it took a bit of time. After that experience, if I am traveling with more than 2 litters of wine, I am careful about the other stuff I carry.

Basically, if you are traveling with more than 2 litters per person and have to go through Customs at IAH, don�t make it worthwhile for them to tax you.