Bringing wine home from your holiday in France can allow you to enjoy your favorite newly discovered vintage in your own home. If you wish to bring wine home from France, however, you must be aware of how to package wine bottles for travel, and also of the regulations that govern the transport of alcohol.
Make sure that your home state and the states that you are going to be traveling through allow you to carry in alcohol by hand. There are several states that do not allow this or which will tax the alcohol being brought in. Check with your state's Department of Safety or Alcohol Control Board and they will tell you what the regulations are.
Wrap your bottle of wine in bubble wrap and secure it with tape.
Place the wrapped bottle of wine in a large resealable plastic bag or a plastic bag. If you place it in a plastic bag, use the handles to tie it closed.
Wrap the opening of the bag with tape for another layer of security.
Place the bottle in your checked luggage. Remember that as of September 2006, it is illegal to bring wine or liquids through the security checkpoint. Because of this, you cannot place it in your carry-on. Wine bottles survive the depressurized luggage compartment without a problem.
Declare your wine at the airport. You may bring up to one liter of alcohol into the country without incurring a fee. There are several different sizes of wine bottles, so check the label for the volume of alcohol that each contains. Any amount of alcohol over one liter will incur a duty and an Internal Revenue Service tax of three percent. If you are bringing more than one liter of wine into the country, be prepared to present a receipt.
