Hi All,
I am likely moving back to the US from France in the near future, and I’d like to ship around 1000 bottles from my private cellar with me. Are there any good options for this that manage the entire process (i.e. packing, pickup, customs, delivery, etc)?
Thanks!
bump
Hopefully, you’re not liable for tariffs. Seems unlikely but worth some due diligence.
Maybe pm Mark Golodetz or someone who buys in London or direct from French wineries. William Kelley may have shipped from France.
I did get a quote that said I would be liable for tariffs. If that is the case, then I will hold off for awhile and just keep the wine in Europe.
Thanks for the reply!
Seconding the Hillebrand recommendation. I’m sure there’s competition but they’re very good at what they do.
I have been very happy with World Wide Cargo getting things to the NYC area.
To my knowledge, tariffs will unfortunately apply. When I gave up and decided to stop waiting- I had to pay tariffs even on bottles that were purchased before the tariffs went into effect.
I’m in the Logistics business and, while I don’t know Hildebrand, I do recommend using a forwarder who specializes in wine. If a problem arises, they’ll know how to deal with it.
Another vote for World Wide Cargo.
I worked with them on a regular basis back when I handled international logistics for a wine auction house.
Ask for Mark Parroto.
Unfortunately that makes perfect sense. Tariffs are not tied to date of purchase. They are tied to date of entry into the US.
If there is a new president in January the tariffs might go away.
Domaine wine storage uses Hillebrand from France. I forget pricing it is fixed on a per case basis and I think works out to $10/bottle or so.
No import license? Then you need to hire a customs broker. You’ll need a detailed inventory including alcohol content for each bottle.
The forwarder will arrange this
I’ve used Seabrook Export Services (www.seabrookexports.com) and had zero issues. Used them for 20 years.
For a nominal fee. 
Perhaps…eventually, but not in January, or even February. The Federal Register notification process will have to be followed, and believe it or not, some will comment and demand hearings to leave the tariffs in place. Boeing would be the big dog in that fight.
+1. The current 25% tariff on wines (and other things) is a result of a long-running trade dispute that previous administrations have also pursued. It’s different from the tariffs on Chinese products, which result from a new approach taken by the current president to addressing trade issues with China.
The way these tariffs go away is for the EU to eliminate the subsidies the WTO concluded it was giving to Airbus, which the EU doesn’t seem inclined to do.
For OP - This assumes the wines are French, which are the ones subject to tariffs (plus certain other EU countries).
I’m no expert but what I’m hearing is that major players in the import business are planning for tariffs to be the new normal. Don’t assume it will go away with Trump.