Trip to Mendoza - flying into Santiago. OK to bring Argentine wine back to Chile?
 

I found a great airfare to Santiago in Oct and plan to take the scenic bus over the Andes to Mendoza.

I will either bus or fly back to Santiago, whichever makes sense.

I'd like to buy a couple of cases of wine in Mendoza. Will I have issues returning to Chile for my return flight? Problems, taxes, etc.

Does returning via bus vs. car make a difference?

Thanks.

Yes, you could have trouble with a "couple of cases." Chilean law allows a maximum of 2,500 cubic centimeters of alcohol to be brought into the country tax-free (I presume that's per person). I've never made the land crossing, but by air ALL luggage, cargo, etc. will go through the big x-rays and they will definitely see that you've got a large quantity.

Link is in Spanish, sorry: https://www.gochile.cl/guias/guia-ch...y-aduanas.html

I don't mind paying a bit of tax. How much will it slow me down?

That I can't find, unfortunately. Chile is notorious for not publishing penalties/fees, etc. The closest I could come was for wine import businesses, which of course you're not.

The SAG (www.sag.cl) would be the place to look, but it's not easy and all en español.

Sorry I can't help more.

In my experience, Chilean customs officials are more than reasonable, especially with non-Chileans. Last year, as a foreigner resident in Chile, I flew from Toronto to Santiago with a bulky photo printer in a colossal box. Going through the X-ray check, a customs official flagged it and asked me how much it was worth. I informed him (correctly) that it cost approximately US$800, and that it was for a friend in Lima. He asked me when the unit was going to be shipped to Peru and I told him (again, correctly) that my friend was going to be traveling in two weeks' time and would take it with him. The official let me go, with no more than that verbal assurance.

My bet is that if you explain that the wine is going back with you to the US and show the official a return ticket, he/she will probably let you go. It will certainly help if you speak Spanish since most of the officials speak little or no English.

Of course, there are no guarantees! But Chileans generally are pretty relaxed about this sort of thing.

Still, I don't know why you wouldn't just take Chilean wine back with you. Santiago shops like Vinoteca and Mundo del Vino are adept at packing wine for shipping, and the Chilean plonk is as good or better (IMHO) than the stuff you buy in Mendoza.

By the way, you're aware that the bus ride to Mendoza is an eight hour affair with a potentially long wait at the border, and that in October the Los Libertadores pass can be closed temporarily on short notice, due to late winter snow storms?

Thank you Siempre Vlajando, for that info.

I knew the bus ride was long, but thought it was more like 5-6. Your point is a good one. I may need to fly, as much as I would enjoy the view.

I write a blog about Argentine wines, so at this point, I'm keeping my focus there!

So what was the outcome of this? I'm scheduled to fly MDZ-SCL-LAX, but on two separate PNR's due to lack of award availability. I was planning on having roughly one case of wine going home, but could be up to two depending on how the trip goes (1st visit!). If there are two people on the PNR, should I plan on any issues, or is this not a big deal?

I've heard LAN will not through-check baggage on separate tickets, even though both of my flight segments are on LAN... hence my concern.

Thx,
-CLG

It’s funny, because I’m thinking about doing this again, and when I Google search, I came back with my own question from years ago!

The previous trip, I did not return via Chile.

Two comments:

Don't start a wine war! Both countries produce undrinkable plonk that you can't even find enough ice for, and both countries produce spectacular wines. In the rare event that I bring anything home from either place, it is typically going to be something not designed for export (the label is usually all en español).

As for the customs officials, just the typical caveat regarding SAG (not customs) - if you have any foodstuffs whatsoever, declare it, period. This way, the worst that can happen is confiscation. If you don't declare it and SAG decides it is not permitted, the fines can be hefty. If you don't declare it and it is permitted, you may get a stern warning on how you should have declared it. (I had the latter occur to me, over ground coffee.)

I hired a car and drove from Santiago to Argentina, including Mendoza, and back.

I did it in June (a few years ago) and the pass closed for two weeks due to snowfall. I got stuck with a Chilean hire car in Argentina for an extra two weeks and my two week holiday became a month long! In October, you shouldn't have that problem.

In my experience, Chilean customs are not interested in private cars, particularly ones driven by foreigners. The pass is full of trucks from a wide range of South American countries and they are far more interested in those. They did not even glance inside our vehicle.

It is far more preferable to drive than take the bus. Driving in Chile is fine. In Argentina, you will probably witness some appalling and dangerous driving and you need to drive defensively and I strongly advise against driving at night in Argentina.

Not to mention that signage is poor in many places and your GPS (and signal overall) may not function as well as you like when you really need it.

Meanwhile, although it is ok to bring the wine back into Chile, don't open the bottle in public :D Safer (personal safety from ridicule, not digestive tract safety) to open a box of Gato Negro!

Bus ride
 

We did the bus ride from Mendoza to Santiago. The actual bus ride is 6 hours. It took about 2 hours crossing the border. Interesting borer crossing. Had my altimeter on and it got to about 9,000 ft as we approached. As full time nomads we had the time, and really enjoyed it. We did end of January 2023.

While regulations can change, generally it's possible to bring a reasonable amount of Argentine wine into Chile for personal use. Check both Argentine and Chilean customs guidelines regarding alcohol import limits. Some considerations:
1. Quantity: There might be limits on the amount you can bring.
2. Declaration: You might need to declare the wine at the border.
3. Taxes: Depending on the amount, you might need to pay taxes.

It's best to contact both customs agencies or your airline for the most up-to-date information before your trip. Remember, regulations can vary, and it's always wise to be aware of the rules to avoid any inconvenience.

More than a wine war, I would say that is easy to find argentine wines in chile, mostly because in Chile Malbec is not produced.
A good idea is to visit "la vinoteca" o "la cav". You can find plenty of wines there.

Smart man... he buys his wine in Argentina before crossing over to the left (wrong) side of the Andes...................

LOL