US residents who buy wine in Europe can now get their purchases shipped home through UPS under a new cross-border B2C delivery service.
UPS has expanded its ability to ship wine to the United States, offering consumers from 27 US states the chance to ship home the wine they purchased while in Europe. Coverage includes major population centres such as Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio as well as the capital, Washington DC.
The company claims to be the first major logistics provider to transport international wine shipments to consumers in the U.S.
“European vineyards produce some of the world’s best wines, and many of the millions of Americans visiting Europe every year are keen to bring home a taste of their holidays,” said Lou Rivieccio, president, UPS Europe. “This new service gives our customers more opportunities to take advantage of a key segment of the retail wine market by offering consumers choice and convenience.”
With the value of wine exports growing nearly 13% since 2015, the United States is a large and growing market for European producers. According to the European Commission, wine exports from the EU to the U.S. were valued at more than €3.6 billion in 2017, representing nearly 32% of all wine exports.
UPS already provides a direct-to-consumer wine shipping export service from select countries in the European Union to 51 countries in Asia-Pacific, Canada, Latin America and Africa. The B2C service complements its existing worldwide B2B shipping service for both palletized and non-palletized goods.
For all destinations, UPS said it provides certified and safe packaging specifically designed for the transport of wine bottles (up to 12 bottles per box for still wines and up to 6 bottles for sparkling wines) that can be ordered through UPS call centers. Customers shipping from France and Italy can also benefit from the Customized Declared Value for Wine program.
In addition, through UPS Capital, which offers UPS customers parcel and cargo insurance, trade finance and payment solutions, customers using pre-approved packaging can count on bundled shipping and protection up to €500. If the shipment is valued higher, customers can purchase additional protection up to the full retail cost.
Customers can rest assured that their wine will arrive to the intended destination safely. And, if for some reason the wine is damaged during shipment, they will be reimbursed for the value of the wine and the transportation expenses, the company emphasized.
