Bringing back wine

I am heading off to Paris next week, and am hoping to bring back a couple of bottles of wine. I have never done this on any of my previous trips, and was hoping for some help. First of all, where is the best place to buy wine? Should I buy it in Paris, or is there a duty-free in CDG that I can purchase from? Secondly, can anyone suggest the best way to pack the bottles, so that I don%26#39;t end up with wine-stained clothes and nothing to drink?

Thanks a lot!

|||

I can%26#39;t tell you where to buy but I%26#39;ve packed my share of wine home from Spain before. We usually ask for a wooden wine box this is usaully complemmentary when you by a case or 1/2 a case. Pack clothes around bottles in the box to keep them from clanking together and then the box inside a suitcase to prevent crushing. That%26#39;s what we have done and haven%26#39;t lost a bottle yet. However on my next trip I am going to try this tip I got on Rick Steve%26#39;s. Pack kids water wings or swimmies(the flotation device that goes on kids arms) slip them on the bottles and inflate. Sounds like it would work great and you can pick them up at the dollar store.

|||

Bear in mind new airport security rules. Unless the wine you purchase has been purchased within the security controlled/bonded portion of your airport%26#39;s departure terminal, you may NOT carry-on any wines purchased elsewhere. As an example, if you made the purchase at a wine shop in Paris, that wine must be either packed in your checked luggage or checked through separately as checked baggage....NOT your carry-on.

Many wine shops in Paris are familiar with the airport/airline security requirements and can wrap or pack your purchases in protective packaging. The NICOLAS wine shops in Paris are one chain of shops more than familiar with these processes....as is a great shop in the 6eme Le DERNIÉRE GOUTTE

Le DERNIÉRE GOUTTE--

http://www.yikes.com/~patty/html/goutte.html

NICOLAS--

http://www.nicolas.com/

|||

2 problems for us Canadians. Maximum is 2 bottles per adult AND the fact we have to carry it in our checked bags as liquids are not allowed anymore in carryons.

That means you need to bring bubble-like packing stuff or get special boxes from these guys

www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp…

You can buy some at the duty free shops in Orly or CDG and bring them on-board according to the new rules. But these shops don%26#39;t have good deals nor do they have wide choice of good wines (pretty straightforward wine and pretty recent too).

Remember you won%26#39;t be able to bring it back to the SAQ if it not good (%26quot;bouchonné%26quot; par exemple). So I suggest youdrink the more expensive wines in Paris (e.g. 25 euros and up) and you bring back something less risky (I had to throw down the sink a Cahors 1996 last year and it p****ed me off).

|||

Thanks for all the info.

Any idea if you can buy those boxes somewhere in Montreal? I leave on Monday, so no time to order something online!

|||

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Any idea if you can buy those boxes somewhere in Montreal? I leave on Monday, so no time to order something online!%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Packaging materials are readily available in Parisa...and as previously noted, many wine shops in Paris will either offer or sell you adequate packaging material. But if you MUST bring along your own packaging material, than buy a roll of %26#39;..bubble wrap..%26#39; and bring a couple of large zip-lock bags. You can use sheets of %26#39;bubble wrap%26#39; to prevent creases and wrinkles in packed clothing...and re-use it to wrap a couple of bottles wine purchased in Paris.

|||

I never saw this type of boxes in town. Go to Bureau en Gros and get some of these bubble kits for packaging. That should do the job and as advised by KDSAIL large Ziploc bags could also help. I tried it this year (I had forgotten my boxes...) and it worked out fine.

|||

We bought it in Paris grocery/quick stop stores for about 3E as well as at CDG for much more. We packed it in our checked bags but we,CDG couldn%26#39;t get on the plane. Great, wrapped in a sweatshirt or more, and it was OK when we got home. There are so many helpful stores in Paris and you can pack it all in your checked luggage. We also packed some pate, wrapped in our socks and put in our shoes in our checked baggage. It will be be fine. Someone asked if the pate was better if squished between our toes and, yes, it is, depending on the cracker. Triscuit is our fave....Oyster crackers are OK, only because they can get in between our toes... to dig out the pate....

oprah44

|||

Bubble wrap?

I prefer the special wine styrofoam containers; and then pack them into a big duffle bag for check-in. Wine shops usually have them. Hopefully, you can grab some before you go--before you%26#39;re somewhere less familiar to be looking for stuff.

Bring a roll of duct tape to secure the styrofoam containers.

The last time I came back from Burgundy with my wife, we packed a bit over our duty free limit of 2 liters per person. But the NYC customs agents didn%26#39;t care and just waived us through. So you could get lucky, but US taxes aren%26#39;t too much unless you%26#39;re bring back a lot.

|||

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;we packed a bit over our duty free limit of 2 liters per person%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

The US Customs Duty Free limit is one(1) liter (33.8 oz) of ANY alcoholic beverage--spirits, wines, beers--and the amount of taxes/duty applied to any overage is predicated on the percentage of alcoholic content by volume of the beverage. Since the alcoholic content of most table wines run 10%-12%...the taxes/duty will usually run somewhere around $1-$1.50 or so per liter...and scarcely worth the time or effort of a Customs officer to write up.

|||

The absolute best new product to carry wine home with is : http://bottlewise.com/ . Used it when we went to Italy and absolutely worked wonders! Have bought 2 more to be able to carry even more wine home on our trip to Paris in March