We’re still stuck in the UK ( the gov’t says I’m vulnerable) and the dreaded (probable) Brexit deal means saying goodbye to our 200+ bottle purchases of 3€-6€ value for money lovely french wine. In it’s place is a 24 bottle limit and searches by adorable spaniels ( we have two!).
Is it easy to phone a vineyard - or shop (maybe you know of one?), place an order and arrange UK delivery and still be able to drink well at sensible rates?
OK we will need to pay tax but at least the wine will be drinkable, from source, and not decanted from a tanker and sold with an impressive “French” label.
The cupboard really is running dry so we really are in need of urgent medical supplies
Yes Andrew, you can import 90 litres for personal consumption and many vineyards will arrange shipping for you. I can personally recommend this crew for both the quality of the wine and their efficient shipping.
You’ll probably find that many don’t / won’t ship to the UK because of the paperwork involved with customs clearance. I have ordered over the years with “La Baronnie” (some Rothschild vente-à-distance outfit with pretty good wines from the Bordeaux region, and now further afield). I have asked them repeatedly over the years whether they could ship to my family in the UK, and/or some of my clients, but I was told they won’t do it because it involves too much paperwork with regard to customs on alcohol imports. If a sizable outfit like them isn’t going to be bothered, then it seems even more unlikely that a local vineyard producer would do so.
I guess that that is why most retail importers in the UK come and get the wine themselves (or use a specialised collection service), unless they are bulk shippers (think container vats from Oz and South Africa).
Would you like me to drop into them Andrew. They shipped 90 litres to Dublin for me in December 2018. Maybe it’s a distributer thing but all they can say is no. They’re a friendly bunch, I’d got them teed up for a sale or return on my daughter’s wedding too. Which of course is now postponed to next year (I suppose at least).
I would imagine that by the time you have paid taxes and delivery charges your cheap wine will no longer be so. Why not profit from the one advantage of the UK wine market - diversity? There is decent wine around from six to eight pounds. South Africa, California, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Germany etc. all available in supermarkets. Only specialist wine shops have a range anywhere near that in France. Try finding a bottle of sherry!
Personally, I have been distinctly underwhelmed by most of the wines in that price range available from the various UK supermarkets I have tried over the past few years, irrespective of where they came from. I’m not particularly French chauvinistic when it comes to wine, far from it, but paying 8GBP for the “piquette” that is sold in the UK is kind of galling, when you can pick up more than half-decent Italian, Australian, New Zealand, South African, Chilean, Argentinian, US, French, and German wines (even the occasional Romanian and Hungarian) from discounters here in France (e.g. Nozarrivages), usually for less than 5EUR / bottle.
As I want a selection of wines I’ve just contacted Jean-Pascal to see what he has available, thanks for the suggestion. I’m separately following up on suggestions made by others and have already found it is indeed possible to have the wines delivered to my UK door. Almost deserves a glass or two!
Thanks for your kind offer yet I’m looking more for every day drinking wines ( well, perhaps not EVERY day!). It certainly looks like a vineyard that deserves a visit. If you were tempted to pop in for a degustation I would like to know the shipping costs if they could send 24 or 48 bottles to mainland England for personal use (no duty). I may be tempted.
I don’t know - I live near Bergerac airport so I see their ads all over the place, aimed principally at people flying back and unable to take x cases of wine with them.
Thanks everyone for providing so much information.
It’s been really helpful as I’ve discovered you can ship wine into the UK, from 2€ - 3€ per bottle.
Unless buying really good “local” wine or expensive premier cru, adding this to each bottle this seems to match the vineyard’s UK distributor pricing.
However, one group of vineyards I found (I had bought from one of the members in the past) is Grandes Caves Saint Troch. Wines are good and range from affordable upwards and they quoted me just 1.69€ per bottle for a min of 42 bottles.
What really upsets me is my need to ask the question. As from 31 December Brits unable to travel (or live in France) will be penalised for buying French wine, meaning producers will also lose a large bunch of loyal customers. Can’t find a winner in this equation?
