Bringing Wine Back from LA to London

Has anyone checked in to baggage wine to take home to the UK? Brief story, dinner at Copley's in Palm Springs on Monday (excellent as always) and a bottle of Hidden Ridge 2005 Cab from Napa. Excellent but no UK importer. So I though I'd have six bottles sent to me here in PS then check them in as one of my items for the return to the UK in one of those special wine boxes.

Will VS accept this in the hold?

Thanks

I think this has been asked before and I think the answer was a'yes' as long as propely protected and within your baggage weight allowance.

Personally I have btought back a couple of bottles of wine / sprits and some speciality beers in my checked baggage - just made sure they were well wrapped up

Must be a really good wine !

You can, however you run the Duty issue, if specifically parceled up as wine..

6 bottles, easily packed up in a couple of existing checked in cases- bubblewrap/ parcel tape and some careful packing.
single bottle polystyrene boxes also good (wineshops usually stock in the states), or http://www.wineskin.net if you can find them.
brought 12 bottles back from Oz on VS, via offload-reload in HKG. some expensive native bottles as well, no probs, you can't beat bubblewrap, commonsense packing/padding, etc..

NH

I once had a bottle of Jose Quervo Gold Especial leak in my suitcase. 3 days smelling of Agave is not good.

You can, however you run the Duty issue, if specifically parceled up as wine..

6 bottles, easily packed up in a couple of existing checked in cases- bubblewrap/ parcel tape and some careful packing.
single bottle polystyrene boxes also good (wineshops usually stock in the states), or http://www.wineskin.net if you can find them.
brought 12 bottles back from Oz on VS, via offload-reload in HKG. some expensive native bottles as well, no probs, you can't beat bubblewrap, commonsense packing/padding, etc..

NH

What he said . I've brought some "nice" wines back fom SYD, CPT, LAX, SFO in checked in bags as per NH's advice with no horror stories and about to repeat on the OZ/ NZ run

[honey lamb]

Me too with the addition of North Carolina which does not come to the forefront of the mind with regard to wine but they really are rather nice

Is the legal allowance still 4 bottles of wine and 1 of spirits each ?

It's not "bottles" of wine, it's by volume, 4 litres of still table wine can be brought into the UK duty free, which works out at 5-and-a-bit 75cl wine bottles - so you've got room for 5 full bottles and a dessert wine, or you can do 5 full bottles and a fizz, as the fizz is counted as a seperate allowance - the spirits, fortified wine and sparkling wine allowance - seperate to that for the "table wine".

I've done this several times from the US, Oz and NZ, packed within suitcases, and packed in wine shipping boxes (both polystyrene-lined and formed cardboard pulp lined varieties).

I have not had a breakage as yet - the secret if you are wrapping it within luggage is to use good quality luggage to begin with, and provide a very firm solid pack so no movement of the bottles can happen during handling. Ensure that the bottles aren't touching each other, and aren't directly touching the sides of the case or anything else hard. I wrap the bottles "zig-zagged" in jeans, using socks and undies as "end-buffers".

You also want a rigid or semi-rigid case, not a soft-sided case to do this.

If you're doing the odd bottle, wrapping it in your luggage like this works just fine, or you can fork out for "wineskins" as noted above.

If you want to bring your full allowance back, I'd use a proper wine shipping box. I've checked these in several times with ANZ, typically Kiwi they don't even bat an eyelid, no questions asked other than "what's in the box?", while ex-SFO on VS, I was asked if it was "a proper wine shipper box". There was some confusion about it using a cardboard pulp box liner, rather than an expanded polystyrene liner, but they were satisfied when I explained it.

In the US, most UPS stores, especially those in or near wine regions, carry wine shipping products, as will some speciality/large liquor stores and places like BevMo.

I've been stopped once or twice with boxes by a UK Revenue and Customs officer on the way in, and asked "What's in the box?", and they are so far always happy I say "wine", and haven't asked to have a look inside.

As long as you're within your personal allowance, there is no "duty issue" for shipping it in proper wine shipper. Just peace of mind.

Hope this helps.

Mike

Thanks for all your replies - so if I use the #1's allowance too, I can get a full case . Off to UPS later but will see first if the winery will ship to me in said, sturdy boxes!

Mike, thanks so much for all that advice, I've bought back the odd bottle in luggage and had no problems but there's a really good wine I had in Vermont last year and am unable to get in the U.K. so thought I would bring back the full quota on return from there in July. Also looked up the wineskins as noted by NH and will get friend in states to get me some. Thanks again.

So, I have the wine, it's in a proper box and sealed up. I have 12 bottles and am intending on declaring the 1 1/2 bottles extra on arrival (using two people's allowance). Two more quest ons:

- has anyone ever declared at T3, what is the routine?
- the box is blank on the outside, should I covere it with labels saying "wine" "fragile" "my details" etc.?

Thanks

So, I have the wine, it's in a proper box and sealed up. I have 12 bottles and am intending on declaring the 1 1/2 bottles extra on arrival (using two people's allowance). Two more quest ons:

- has anyone ever declared at T3, what is the routine?
- the box is blank on the outside, should I covere it with labels saying "wine" "fragile" "my details" etc.?

Thanks

Red lane for goods to declare? but there are usually a number of customs chaps and chapesses hanging around in the entrance area so you could ask one of them for advice but to be honest they are not really after people who are just slightly over the limits.

I'd put fragile etc and name / flight details on the box but but mention wine.

But arnt the rules funny in that if you go over your allowance they charge you duty / vat etc on the whole amount and not just the excess?

[Decker]

Tonty - that's if the ITEM exceeds the allowance. If there's less than £9 duty to pay it's ignored. My experience of Customs and alcohol is they tell you to FO and be more careful next time as long as you're not seriously taking the michael.

Decker, when you say 'item' does that mean 'the 6th bottle' not all six?

Thanks

[Decker]

Correct

If you bring in any single item worth more than your allowance, you must pay duty and/or tax on the full item value, not just the value above the allowance. You also cannot group individual allowances together to bring in an item worth more than the limit.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving ... gnoneu.htm

Thank you Mr Decker, said wine is now in the bowels of LAX and I will next see it in T3 and very politely ask a customs officer for advise.

Home at last and what happened to the weather, it's like we never left Palm Springs - first thing I did was put the air conditioning on as the dogs tongues were all hanging out, panting!

Wine safe too, did the decent thing and went 'red'! Kindly customs officer waved us through, seemed a bit vague about the amount too but said no problem ... thank you all for your advise, now I have this under my belt, I can see more cases coming.

Shame about the flight though, but that's for a TR.

Glad the advice worked out. It's easy, isn't it?

Sounds like your flight was a rough one. That's not good to hear.

Mike