Shipping Wine from the US to the UK

Does anyone know of a company that can help me ship 2 cases of wine from the US to the UK and take care of any paper work or duties I may have to pay. The wine is for personal consumption but I want to make sure it gets shipped the right way. I'm not trying to sneak anything past customs etc. Thanks for your help.

Does anyone know of a company that can help me ship 2 cases of wine from the US to the UK and take care of any paper work or duties I may have to pay. The wine is for personal consumption but I want to make sure it gets shipped the right way. I'm not trying to sneak anything past customs etc. Thanks for your help.

When I wanted to ship two bottles to a friend in NZ several years ago, I found the various shipping companies I spoke most unwilling to deal with an individual. Instead, what I ended up doing (on the recommendation of a FedEx employee) was to purchase the wine from a large retailer -- Sam's in Chicago -- and pay them to ship it to NZ for me. Of course, they used those same carriers who refused to deal with me, but I didn't feel like fighting it. I have no idea if such a solution would work for you, but there it is FWIW.

Mark Lipton

Contact Mike Gillespie at Wines By Air, Int'l. in the SF Bay area, 650-508-9631. He can take care of any paperwork, and they ship Air Cargo.

Does anyone know of a company that can help me ship 2 cases of wine from the US to the UK and take care of any paper work or duties I may have to pay.

If you do not pay UK taxes the recipient will have to, and will also be hit for admin charges* from the carrier who deals with UK Customs. Taxes on wine are very high in the UK (highest in Europe) consisting of a wine tax (which depends on the alcoholic strength and type of wine), duty and then 17.5% VAT is applied on the total value including the two other taxes. Tax element works out at upwards of £1.50 per bottle

If this is a gift, then either make sure you pay all taxes or use your credit card to buy a suitable vinous gift from an online UK store such as Majestic (http://www.majestic.co.uk) who will deliver free in UK.

*DHL billed me for £16 odd for two bottles of wine someone sent me from abroad.

To clarify, this is wine I already own. It is US wine from small producers not available in the UK. I want to bring it over to share with friends at a wine tasting. I'll pay a reasonable import charge if needed, I just can't be bothered doing all the paperwork.

Another approach might be to get a UK wine merchant to import it for you, perhaps for in exchange for an invitation to your tasting or an interesting bottle or two. Try asking on the UK Wine Forum (Google will find it) where a number of small independent wine merchants hang out. Feel free to say I suggested it if you like.

To clarify, this is wine I already own. It is US wine from small producers not available in the UK. I want to bring it over to share with friends at a wine tasting. I'll pay a reasonable import charge if needed, I just can't be bothered doing all the paperwork.

Well, if you are travelling yourself, bring it with you: invest in a couple of polystyrene wine boxes and check it into the hold.

That is the easiest and cheapest method.