Free personal service for USA and Canadian Members of WineDrive

WineDrive has a special service for US and Canadian visitors to France. While the information in WineDrive is relevant for all wine lovers visiting France, our on-line route information is primarily for tourists arriving by car form the UK. We therefore offer an extra service for American and Canadian Premier Page subscribers arriving in France by air or from other European destinations.

This service includes preparing personalized routes and help in selecting vineyards which meet your preferred taste in wine. We will need certain information about your vacation so we can advise if you will have sufficient time to include all your choices in your trip. If appropriate, we will suggest the wine regions you should visit to find the type of wines you prefer. We will also suggest the best mode of transport so you don't waste too much of your vacation driving the length and breadth of France, and give you directions or routes to help you prepare your final itinerary.

Talk about specialization. WineDrive is a U.K. site devoted to helping travelers visit the wine routes of France. With a name like Route du Vin, you won’t find any complaints about this site's specialty here. WineDrive offers basic, but quite informed, travel information for free, including information about wine regions and accommodation listings of local gites and hotels. But subscribers get much more detailed travel advice, including itineraries and travel guides, recommended producers and visitor information, updates on road conditions, and even a WineSniffer service to help wine-lovers track down bottles found along the wine route. Although the wine itineraries are geared to English Channel-crossing drivers, North American subscribers get access to a customized service to help plan a visit to French wine country. I wish I'd known about this site before my last trip to France's wine regions.

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Importing Wine to the USA...

The documentation required by the US authorities for imports of wine is very complex and time consuming for small vineyards, making the cost of shipping small quantities prohibitive. It can also lead to very long delivery delays. Interstate transportation could prove another difficult hurdle and there are issues concerning payments and guarantees.

Finding a wine importer in your State or City and asking if it can include small extra amounts in one of its shipments from France is probably the best solution. Most wine from France is shipped through Le Havre for the North Atlantic routes, usually in half containers (20 ft).
 
It is worth adding that the bureaucratic processes relating to importation of wine are worldwide and not limited to France and Europe. The documentation imposed by the USA gives the impression that it was designed purely to reduce the number of small imports. Until the USA reduces the barriers for trade with the rest of the world, it looks as though finding a local importer is the only way for US citizens to enjoy their personal choice of wine from other countries.
 
Meanwhile, winedrive.com was originally conceived for people taking a vacation in France. You can tour the vineyards, meet the owners and taste their wines, then bring your favourite wines back to the USA. But please check any regulations regarding paperwork, quantity limits and taxes with your local Customs office first. The rules may vary between States.