Here's a hint. Pack your wine in your checked bag. It's not rocket science.
Bringing wine on an airplane used to be simple.
Pack a few bottles in your carry-on bag and you're all set.
But due to heightened security measures, those days are long gone. Instead, bringing wine home on an airplane can seem nearly impossible unless you buy it in the limited, "Duty Free" section of an airport.
But there are ways to get wine on board. And it's not as hard as you might think.
You just have to be a little creative - and plan ahead.
There's a misconception among some people about how much wine or alcohol you can bring back from another country. Just read various Internet forums and blog posts. Most people think you can only bring back a little more than one bottle of wine - or one liter to be exact.
And then there are the people who think you can only bring back wine or alcohol you bought in the airport's "Duty Free" shop since you can't bring liquids onto airplanes in your carry-on bag.
Here's the truth. You can bring back as much wine as you want. The U.S Customs and Border Protection web site clearly states, "There is no federal limit on the amount of alcohol a traveler may import into the U.S. for personal use." There is a limit, however, for much you alcohol you can bring into the country duty fee. You can bring in one liter (just over a bottle) duty free.
And how much is duty? Again, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection web site, the duty appears to be $1.59 per liter of wine. But let me add that the chart explaining the various duties on different products has numerous footnotes and sidebars and other, perplexing data clearly written by the same people who wrote the U.S. federal tax code.
That's the official explanation. Here's the reality. I know a guy who brought back a case of wine - or more - from another country and never paid a single cent in duty.
Let's call this guy "Ben." And let's just say for the sake of argument that my friend "Ben" went to Spain or Chile before there were the safety restrictions preventing people from bringing liquids onto airplanes. My friend "Ben" brought an entire case of wine packed in several little bags onto the plane. And when my friend "Ben" went through customs in the U.S., the customs agent didn't even ask how much wine he had with him or charge him a single cent of duty as "Ben" clanged through the customs area like a sherpa weighed down like a pack mule. At least that's what I heard.
But enough about duty. Here's how to bring wine back from somewhere - or take it with you.
Put the wine in your checked bag. That's it.
Except for one exception - don't check the Champagne. I could be wrong, but I would not want to take any chances and have sparkling wine explode all over the rest of the contents in my suitcase.
Now, you might ask why you would bring wine with you on vacation. Personally, I've done this numerous times. Usually, I do it when I'm visiting friends and want to bring them an unusual wine they can't find near them, like a cult California zinfandel or Oregon pinot noir to friends or family in Mexico City, Toronto or the suburbs of London.
Other times, I've done this because I'm going somewhere for a week or so and want to bring my own wine. This might sound excessive, but it's nice to have some great wine you can leisurely enjoy on the beach without spending an arm and a leg on generic wine you can find just as easily back home.
Whatever the reason, all you have to do is pack your wine with your clothes. You can even buy special wine suitcases and check the bag. I borrowed one of these wine suitcases from a friend once on a trip several years ago to Vieques. I packed my beach clothes in my carry-on bag. The wine arrived safe and sound.
If you are packing your wine in your suitcase with your clothes, my advice is put each bottle in a plastic bag and wrap clothes around each bottle. Again, I've done this plenty of times and - knock on wood - have never had a bottle break.
One recent trip, I brought back two bottles of wine and two bottles of Scotch. I declared all of them on my customs form. The U.S customs official waived me right through, didn't charge me a cent and my bottles arrived all in one piece.
Again, all of this effort might sound crazy. But while some people buy t-shirts or hats as souvenirs, there's nothing I enjoy more than bringing home a few bottles of wine so I can think of that place when I'm having a drink at home or somewhere far away with a loved one or a dear, old friend.