Importing wine / buying it online

Old Gill

Has anyone done this and do you end up having to pay excise on it? if I bought a case online do I pay excise and if so will I always have to pay (is there a chance it will get through)

Does anyone know good sites or done it before?

MattKane

As far as I know, you will get charged excise - but I'm sure the odd one slips through. Worth a try.

IrishWhiskeyCha

I bought from here regularly over the years and have never had a problem and a board member here also got a shipment for their wedding with out any issues. But they are UK based so similar VAT & duties so the authorities may not be bothered.

Never got any wine on-line from France or other cheaper duty state so can't tell you on that one. If they send it via courier you have a better chance of getting it through.

I have bought plenty of Whiskey from All over the EU and have never been charged once.

coleen

I have bought a few times from these www.vinatis.com and it is 3 euro per bottle excise charge but they will be no delivery charge for 18 bottles. I always buy bottles of 6 where I possibly get 20% off and this makes up for the 3 euro excise charge so I get a few nice bottles at 10 euro each. I feel a 10 euro bottle from france is better value than a 10 euro bottle in the supermarket here. They have a english web site and a French I alway buy off the french site. It is handy to get it deliveried to your door and I get some you dont find here.

garbanzo

Hey Coleen

Thanks for this info. Great looking site and the value looks top notch. I've bulk bought a bit of wine over they years and done various runs to teh wine warehouses, Sainsbury's in Newry etc. etc.

This looks to be the real thing. I have french and the french site seems to be cheaper than the english language one. While I know wine is very much a personal taste can I ask you what you have bought yourself and what you would recommend?

garbanzo

garbanzo wrote: »

Hey Coleen

Thanks for this info. Great looking site and the value looks top notch. I've bulk bought a bit of wine over they years and done various runs to teh wine warehouses, Sainsbury's in Newry etc. etc.

This looks to be the real thing. I have french and the french site seems to be cheaper than the english language one. While I know wine is very much a personal taste can I ask you what you have bought yourself and what you would recommend?

Looks like Coleen isn't talking to me. Anyway, I decided to take the plunge and order from VINATIS to see how it would go. Order was 12 Guigal red and 6 Guigal white plus 6 of a red cote du rhone that was also on special. Over 18 bottles qualifies you for free delivery.

The order duly arrived at the door last Friday . . . well, half of it did. I wasn't in the house when they delivered and the baby sitter signed for it

Wine worked out at around €9.50 a bottle, all in, including the €3 you get hit per bottle for Irish duty/tax. The Guigal is €13.79 in my local offy so it seems to be the job. The other unknown red I got is very, very nice indeed.

So, half an order has arrived and I'm on their case to chase up the rest of it. Oddly enough my VISA hasn't been debited yet either. It gets further complicated as I'm on hols in Wexford so delivery might be a bit of fun and games. Am worried if it is left with the neighbours they will horse it all back !

Seems a good thing to do a few times a year to get yourself some quality wine but i wouldn't be doing it for your regular weekend wine. Word to the wise . . . the prices on the french site are cheaper that the UK/English language version so ... vive la difference !

muckety

Looks like an interesting website - are there others? Is it cheaper to order online than taking a car to france and filling up ??

garbanzo

muckety wrote: »

Looks like an interesting website - are there others? Is it cheaper to order online than taking a car to france and filling up ??

Hey Muckety. I've been toying with going over to France out of Rosslare too but it's a long, long weekend and it'd probably take a week to recover. Cost is around €250 for a car plus two adults. I'm sure cost-wise it'd probably be mathematically cheaper to go over yourself but i think you have to factor in the "hassle" associated with travelling there/back.

This way is certainly easier and less hassle. Also, a shed full of 200 bottles of wine would be fairly tempting and mightn't be that long emptying !

Oh, in other news my 12 bottles of red turned up on my dooorstep this morning so happy days. Let me know how you get on if you decide to give the VINATIS site a go.

Baggio

looks a great website alright,,,,tempted to order some champers sometime soon,,,save a wad compared to prices here..wonder if its worth ordering off the english site and getting it sent north to me mate?? no excise then just me mate and his van bringing it to me duty free!

any thoughts?

garbanzo

Baggio wrote: »

looks a great website alright,,,,tempted to order some champers sometime soon,,,save a wad compared to prices here..wonder if its worth ordering off the english site and getting it sent north to me mate?? no excise then just me mate and his van bringing it to me duty free!

any thoughts?

I like your (lateral) thinking Baggio but i'm not sure it'd work as irrespective of the destination for the wine the Frenchies probably still have to charge the €3 duty if the wine is leaving their country. I could be wrong but that's my read of it. Anyone else got a view ?

garbanzo

Sorry Baggio,a case of premature posting. I should have also added that I think you are mad buying Champoo as it carries a hell of a premium compared to Crémant (French sparkling wine made outside the Champagne region) or my fave which is Spanish Cava. You can get great value on Cava here, M&S are good or indeed get even better value so up North where your mate lives.

Bon scoops !

Baggio

Garbanzo....thanx for the words amigo

well I used to drink cava not keen on it these days or any spanish wine and thats a strange thing...but for some reason i very rarely buy any,,theres nothing wrong with them at all...just somehow when im in a wine shop they just dont "grab me!" the way Italians and south africans do...just love stuff from those 2 countries and of course france too.

Also like new zealand stuff and some chiliean with the odd argentinian Malbec thrown in,

I hear ya on the cremant's etc outside of Champagne and truth be told,,,i'd luuv any sparkiling wine!! ahha not too keen on cava somehow just doesnt go down as nicely,,,,but anyway maybe ill go looksie at the cheaper bubblies from le france and see how i get on.

M/S have great bubbly,,ever try the rose prosecco they do?..11.5% but really nice stuff and for E12 down here thats ok in my book

how about you?..what makes the ol' tatse buds water?

ciao' amigo...Baggio.....

Carawaystick

garbanzo wrote: »

I like your (lateral) thinking Baggio but i'm not sure it'd work as irrespective of the destination for the wine the Frenchies probably still have to charge the €3 duty if the wine is leaving their country. I could be wrong but that's my read of it. Anyone else got a view ?

There is no french excise duty on Wine. Some countries levy a duty when it is imported into those countries. Ireland is one, britain is another.

garbanzo

Baggio wrote: »

Garbanzo....thanx for the words amigo

well I used to drink cava not keen on it these days or any spanish wine and thats a strange thing...but for some reason i very rarely buy any,,theres nothing wrong with them at all...just somehow when im in a wine shop they just dont "grab me!" the way Italians and south africans do...just love stuff from those 2 countries and of course france too.

Also like new zealand stuff and some chiliean with the odd argentinian Malbec thrown in,

I hear ya on the cremant's etc outside of Champagne and truth be told,,,i'd luuv any sparkiling wine!! ahha not too keen on cava somehow just doesnt go down as nicely,,,,but anyway maybe ill go looksie at the cheaper bubblies from le france and see how i get on.

M/S have great bubbly,,ever try the rose prosecco they do?..11.5% but really nice stuff and for E12 down here thats ok in my book

how about you?..what makes the ol' tatse buds water?

ciao' amigo...Baggio.....

Ciao Baggio

Apols but I've been offline because of IT probs which only got sorted today, courtesy of a new hard drive and our ICT Department.

I agree on the M&S bubbly, great value for what you get. I'm a real lover of red wine, that's my main weakness with a leaning towards cote du rhone,, bordeaux and Chilean reds. However, the one thing I'm really hunting about for at the mo is good value in bottles of sancerre. The cheapest I can manage to get is at around €13 a bottle. All suggestions welcome