You are standing in a tasting room in Luján de Cuyo with six bottles you cannot buy at home. The staff smiles and says the wine can be sent to your address in the United States. Then someone at your hotel tells you it is illegal, and a forum post from 2009 tells you it will cost a fortune. Both are half right.
Here is the honest version.
The short answer
You can ship wine from Argentina to the United States legally, and thousands of travelers do it every season. What you cannot do is mail it yourself. Alcohol is not ordinary cargo. Every bottle that enters the US has to be cleared by a licensed importer, and private individuals do not hold that license.
That single fact explains almost everything about this process: the price, the paperwork, and why the friendly courier office downtown may quietly turn you away.
Why you cannot just post it home
US federal law treats imported wine as a regulated product. Clearance requires an importer's basic permit, FDA prior notice, label documentation and payment of federal excise tax and duty. On top of that, alcohol distribution is governed state by state, so the destination address matters as much as the origin.
When a shipment travels without a licensed importer behind it, one of three things tends to happen: it is refused at origin, it is held at the port of entry, or it is destroyed. None of those outcomes come with a refund.
We work with a licensed US import partner on every shipment. Your wine arrives as a properly declared import, not as a parcel hoping nobody looks inside.
What it costs, line by line
Wine shipping from Mendoza looks expensive until you see what is inside the number. A typical shipment to the US breaks down like this:
| Cost Component | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Pickup and consolidation | Collection at the winery or your hotel, inspection, repacking |
| Export packaging | Certified foam or moulded pulp inserts and double-wall cases |
| International freight | FedEx door-to-door, fully tracked |
| Import clearance | Licensed importer, FDA prior notice, customs entry |
| Duty and federal excise tax | Paid on your behalf at clearance |
Our all-in rate to the United States starts at $159 for a 6-bottle case and $259 for 12 bottles, with delivery in about 2 weeks on average, tracking included. There are no surprise invoices after the fact, which is the part travelers most often get burned by when they ship on their own.
A useful way to judge it: divide the total by the number of bottles. If a wine is not exported to your market, that per-bottle figure is what access costs. If it is available at home for less, we will tell you.
How many bottles can you send?
For personal use, US Customs and Border Protection does not set a fixed federal bottle limit, but shipments must be a reasonable personal quantity rather than a commercial volume, and state rules apply on arrival. In practice, six to twenty-four bottles is the comfortable range for a personal shipment.
Two things travelers regularly confuse:
- Your duty-free allowance applies to wine in your luggage, when you and the bottles arrive together. It does not carry over to a shipment.
- A shipment is a separate import. Duty and excise are paid on it regardless of what you carried in your suitcase.
How it works with us
- Tell us what you bought. Send a message with the number of bottles, the winery and your delivery address.
- We collect. Pickup at the winery, or from your hotel in Mendoza if you would rather keep tasting than wait for a courier.
- We pack and consolidate. Bottles from several wineries travel together in one properly built case, which lowers your cost.
- We ship and clear. FedEx door to door, licensed import clearance, tracking from our warehouse to your doorstep.
You do not fill out customs forms, and you do not deal with a broker.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to ship wine from Argentina to the USA?
Yes, when the shipment is cleared by a licensed US importer. That is the arrangement we use on every order.
What if a bottle breaks?
Our export packaging is built for air freight, and shipments are covered. If a bottle arrives damaged, send us a photo and we will resolve it.
Can you pick up from my hotel?
Yes, anywhere in Mendoza city and the surrounding wine regions.
Do you ship anywhere else?
Yes. Europe, the UK, Canada, Brazil and Australia.
Buy the Wine. We'll Get It Home.
Most founders don't pick up the phone. Ours does.