TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Checking a case of wine

We were thinking of bringing a case of wine and checking it as luggage. I have read that 6 bottles is the max. Also have seen an issue with checking a standard wine shipment box. Has anyone had good/bad experiences getting wine to Beef?

We haven't checked wine, but last December we packed a whole case of beer in a suitcase bound for JVD without issue. We took Foxy's taxi from STT checking in at West End. Customs looked through the bag but that was it.

You can bring in a reasonable amount of wine for your own consumption (and in most situations a case of wine is considered a reasonable amount). However, each person can only bring in 2 liters of wine and 2 liters of "fortified wine" duty free. Any amount over that is subject to customs duty so if you bring in a full case you should expect to pay some duty. Sometimes you get lucky and the customs agents will let it "pass" without collecting the duty but don't count on it.

I think you would be very surprised at the wine selection in the BVI's It may not be worth the hassel to bring your own. But then maybe its your own brew?

Tico has a very good selection of wines : italian, french, californian, spanish, australian, ..., and reasonable prices.

We usually have 10 - and now 12 - wine-drinking crew and we drink wine every night, so the numbers of glass bottles would add up very quickly for disposal. Therefore, we now pack boxed wine. We take it out of the boxes (but include them, flattened) and pack them into some of our styrofoam food coolers, boxes, and a soft-sided cooler. I've learned that I can drink boxed wine - as long as I'm on a sailboat in the Caribbean! We've done this in both the BVI and Abacos over the past several years and never had a problem. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

Why would you drink box wines anywhere in the Caribbean. There are great french wines at great prices everywhere. The BVI and the rest of the Caribbean is the place to drink great non US wines. The same is true with the real Rhum from Martinique that is almost impossible to find on the mainland.

StormJib, please don't judge. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Kiss.gif" alt="" /> I think you missed the part about the large number of heavy glass bottles ... the original poster was just asking about bringing wine into the BVI. As my mama used to say, "To each his own." But thanks for the advice - if we run out, we will definitely go buy some of that great French wine! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

You obviously are not familiar with Ron aka Stormjib. He has an opinion and is a Wikipedia expert on every subject. He posts long rants without fully reading the preceding posts or considering others points of view. It's very tiresome.

Boy does this open a topic that can get wine lovers spun up - �Travel Shock� real or not real? If you have wine shipped to your house many producers will say to leave the wine to sit for a week and some wineries say eight weeks before opening. The changes of temperature, pressurization, and being shaken is just not conducive to the health of the wine. It appears the travel shock phenomenon is definitely more apparent in more mature wines so a longer wait time is recommended. However, there are many the say travel shock is nothing but bunk.

You did not say how long you were headed to the BVI, but suffice to say if it is a week it may not be worth the effort. If this an anniversary trip or a special occasion and you have enjoyed a bottle of X for the last 20 years, then I would say travel shock be damn � carry and enjoy! Although honestly, as others have pointed out in the thread, there are many cheap to excellent wines available in the VI (both US and British). Maybe some you will not find in the US, which I always find fun.

Of course heat in the islands is a factor, and some of importers do not use refrigeration when they ship. The result being it is not uncommon to get a tainted bottle which has been effected by heat. There is nothing worse than to open a delicate Sancerre that is supposed to be a light vibrant color and see the liquid in your glass the color of hay bale or pour a lovely Oregon Pinot only to find it smells like port. Ahh� the problems of being in paradise.

If you decide not to carry and buy in the VI, a couple hints of that may reduce your chances of getting a tainted bottle. 1) By young or current vintages � less time for heat exposure. 2) Feel the top of the bottle; if you feel the cork has risen up even a fraction put it back. It usually means heat has caused chemicals in wine to start moving and pressurization occurs and up the cork.

Once again, not sure how long you are going or why you are carrying the wine, but the bottom line the risk is greater than the reward in my book. Safe travels and would be interested in what you decide and how it worked out.

Fine Print:
Of course, as with anything in regards to wine, it is just my humble opinion <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />