Shipping your wine purchases home to the USA.

Prices of wine are low in France – very low indeed compared to those of the USA. Wine enthusiasts are keen to take advantage of this to stock their cellars, while the casual visitor wants to bring back wines they have enjoyed here but will never be able to find back home. Visitors to France from the USA and other countries have found it difficult to buy more than a few souvenir bottles of wine to take home – until now.

Loire Valley USA has teamed up with speciast wine transporters to offer a unique service to our clients. They collect your wine purchases and deliver it directly to your door.

How does it work?

In a typical touring day we visit from three to five vineyards. If you choose to buy a case or several cases (of 6 bottles) at each you will have quite a few boxes needing shipping by the end of the day.

Having paid for your wine at each vineyard, you give us your delivery details so that we can organise the shipment; you will be invoiced for the transport and packing seperately from your tour so that you can pay by credit card.

After completing the administrative work demanded by customs – both the French customers and those of your country – the consignment is collected from us and taken to the airport. Here your wine is repacked into insulated transport boxes before being flown to an airport in your country. The wine is cleared through customs, collected and taken by road to your home.

In normal circumstances the whole process takes 6 – 8 weeks door to door. Weather and other issues can effect this however, so patience is essential. High summer can be an issue in many states but your wine will be stored in perfect conditions in the USA until the weather allows for safe delivery. Can’t wait? We can send your wine cool-chain express delivery for a supplement.

How much does it cost?

There are two charges made for this service:

• Delivery / packaging charges.
• Insurance.

Bottles are shipped in boxes of 6 only

Delivery / packaging charges – to your door – USA

Insurance

5% of cost of total wine cost (from purchase receipts). Minimum charge: €20

Fees cover breakage, loss and wine specific damage like seepage during transit. Please open your cases immediately upon delivery and let us know by e-mail (within 36 hours) if you have any concerns. Please provide photos whenever possible. Your satisfaction is our number one priority.

Protecting your wines:

We use specialists to legally ship your wine, who will be taking every needed precaution to avoid any risk of damage during transit due to extreme weather conditions. If this means storing your wines in their temperature controlled warehouse until the weather is appropriate to ship, they will do so free of charge. There may be openings during the cold and hot weather conditions where your wines can be expedited for additional fees instead of free storage. These options will be presented to you if the situation arises.

Additional details / requirements for certain states (subject to change without notice):

• It is illegal under state laws to deliver wine to consumers in UT. If you live in Utah, please contact us for other options.
• In Alabama, wine must be delivered to a state store for an additional fee of approximately $4 per case of 12 bottles. You will pay that fee upon pick up. We will be in contact with you to determine the most convenient state store for delivery.
• New Hampshire charges a state tax of 8% of the total value of the wine for direct shipments to consumers. This is to be paid to us when you pay for wine, insurance and shipping fees.
• Hawaii requires additional fees of 85 Euros/case of 6 or 12 bottles.
• Alaska – shipping is possible for additional fees of 35 Euros/case of 6 or 12 bottles and delivery possible from June 1st to September 30th. Orders received outside of that window will be stored in our US warehouse until delivery is possible.

COSTUMER COMMENTS:

Timothy USA: Sept 2018

“While staying in the Loire Valley my wife and I were having trouble finding a way to ship home some bottles of wine we bought. An internet search quickly brought us in contact with Luc Bonhomme who arranged his schedule to meet with us the next day. 

He explained the entire process to us during a sit down meeting at our hotel the day we were leaving and agreed to help us. 

I must say, Luc is an honorable man who kept his word on a handshake deal with strangers that live thousands of miles away. He was patient and understanding even at times when I wasn’t. He went above and beyond to ensure that we not only recieved our wine, but in a condition that would still be enjoyable, contrary to the excessive heat experienced in Loire Valley that season. 

I will wholeheartedly recommend the services provided by Luc. We couldn’t be happier. “