Taking wine to France

[Kattieanne]

I will be traveling to France during the holidays, and then off to Italy to meet my daughters soon to be parents-in-law. After 11 years we finally meet! I would like to take some Oregon wine to them. How many bottles can I take duty free and do I pack it in my checked luggage?

Is there another drink or item that the Italians love to get from the US?

Thanks!
Kattieanne

[soliteyah]

Hmm, good question! I found this info for France, but I'm not sure how up to date it is: http://goparis.about.com/od/visasand...nchCustoms.htm

And I don't know about Italy. You may want to contact the tourist boards for both of these countries -- they may know the answer (or be able to get it for you). Contact info:

Italy (http://www.italiantourism.com/enit3.html)
France (http://us.franceguide.com/Edito.html...&EditoID=68925)

I hope that helps a little.

[Host Bonjour]

Kattieanne,

Ciao! Must start you on some Italian right now! LOL

Standard is usually two bottles, either way, of spirits. I would NOT put them in your checked baggage unless you want some really great Pinot Noir possibly smashed over all your clothes. In Carry On, most definitely. I don't think it's a duty free issue leaving the country, but when entering Italy though you should be fine bringing in two bottles of Oregon wine. It's within the limit.

As for what Italians like to drink? They have it ALL there!! I like to drink what Italians drink and I can't get it all here! Some of it I can, but not all of it. There really isn't anything American that I can think of, as far as beverages goes, that would be interesting for them to drink other than YOUR VERY FINE OREGON WINE!!! I wish I could get more of it here in NYC!! Not enough of it for sale here in NYC and I KNOW it's great wine, being somewhat of an oenophile, myself.

What IS NICE to bring is this: A nice photobook (coffeetable style, but not too heavy so it doesn't overload your luggage) about OREGON! They will appreciate this SO MUCH because this is where their daughter (presumably) is living, and would love to see the majestic beauty of this pristine state. I brought two picture books of New York City to my Italian Hosts and I could VISIBLY see how happy they were with these books. They went right out onto the sideboard and they kept telling me again and again how much they loved the books. When you meet people from far away, there is an inherent curiousity in knowing MORE about where they come from. Aren't you curious about your Italian adventure? When I came home I bought A GIANT coffee table book on Italy and went through it as soon as I went home!! I needed to, aside from my pictures, preserve everything I saw in a book that I could look at anytime I wanted to.

So I think aside from the wine, a beautiful, small to medium size coffee table book on Oregon with beautiful pictures of your State will mean so much to them, they will treasure it. Make it personal and write an inscription - maybe have your future daughter in law write it in Italian for you too - write it first in English, then let her translate, and all of you sign your names on the fly-leaf, to really personalize it, and offer it to them, from your home to theirs, and I believe you will have pleased them immensely. It worked for me!!

In Italy (or France, etc) it is kind of hard to beat out ANYTHING they have to eat or drink. It just IS what it IS. Plus aside from carrying on two bottles of Oregon's finest wine (I truly would not go beyond that) it would be kind of hard to transport much of anything else for that length of time on a plane. And most of what comes out of Italy, beverage wise, we can get here. So we cannot surprise them with anything here that they will love. Jack Daniels? Nope. Jim Beam? Nope. Not much American liquor they would want, UNLESS THEY ASK FOR IT. Everything else we buy here, honestly, is imported!!

So if you like my idea of the book (and postcards too!!) of Oregon, my personally having had success with this, not only in Italy but elsewhere, then let me know what you think, talk it over with your family and I believe, it will be a nice surprise for your "new" Italian family to see pics of where YOU come from. I think they will LOVE IT. It carries with it a nice personal touch, from our home to yours. Don't forget to sign it!!!

Let me know what you think!!