Second home · Dordogne, Gironde · owners living abroad
A house in the Dordogne or the Gironde, and you live elsewhere: the wine
A longère in the Périgord, a chartreuse in the Entre-deux-Mers, a house near Saint-Émilion: many belong to British, Dutch and Belgian owners who spend a few weeks a year there. The problem is not finding wine, it is having some when you arrive, without spending the first day at the supermarket, and leaving some for next time.
How many bottles for a stay
One bottle per three adults per day, aperitif included, rounded up to the case of six. What is left waits for the next stay.
| Stay | Adults | Bottles | Cases of six |
|---|---|---|---|
| A fortnight for two | 2 | 10 | 2 |
| A week with friends | 6 | 14 | 3 |
| Three summer weeks, the family | 6 | 42 | 7 |
| The whole summer, two months | 4 | 80 | 14 |
Getting it delivered when you're not there
- Someone has to take delivery. Caretaker, neighbour, cleaner, concierge service: give their name and phone number in the request. Lead times and costs on the delivery page.
- Have it delivered a week before you arrive, not a month: early enough for the cases to be there, late enough that they don't spend the summer in a hallway at 30 °C.
- Store it somewhere cool. The cellar, or failing that the coolest north-facing room, bottles lying down. A case forgotten on a veranda in July is lost.
- Leave the list in the house. What to drink now, what should wait: friends or children staying without you won't open the bottle you were saving. If you let the house, lock the cellar.
Local wine, and Bordeaux
In the Périgord, Bergerac, Pécharmant and Monbazillac are bought at the estate, and that makes a good outing. What a wine merchant brings is the rest: the Bordeaux appellations, Left Bank and Right Bank, and vintages already old enough to drink. In the Gironde, the châteaux are on your doorstep; the classified growths, however, sell little at the property and go through wine merchants. See Saint-Émilion for a house on the Right Bank.
For a house where you spend more time, with a proper cellar: building a cellar, or having a large cellar filled. For other second homes, the holiday home page; for a house rented as a group, the villa with friends.
Taking wine home
- Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany: within the European Union, wine you carry yourself for your own consumption pays no duty. Above 90 litres, or 120 bottles, customs may ask you to prove it is for you.
- United Kingdom: 18 litres of still wine per adult duty-free, or 24 bottles. Champagne counts separately, within the allowance for alcoholic drinks. Beyond that, UK duty and VAT must be declared on arrival. Check the rules before you leave: they have changed since 2021.
- Switzerland: outside the Union, with its own allowances, set out on the Swiss collectors page.
We deliver to the house, in France. Shipping outside France is handled on request, with a quote specific to the country.
Can you order from abroad for the house in France?
Yes: the request is made online, and delivery is to the house's address, on the date you choose, provided someone takes delivery.
How much wine can you take back to the UK without paying duty?
18 litres of still wine per adult, or 24 bottles. Beyond that, you declare it and pay UK duty. Sparkling wine comes under a different limit.
What do you do with wine left at the end of a stay?
Leave it in the house, somewhere cool. The reds wait for the next stay without trouble; whites and rosés should be drunk within the year.
Who takes delivery if the house is empty?
Someone you trust on site: caretaker, neighbour, concierge service. The carrier won't leave cases of wine outside a locked door.
Give the house's address, your arrival date and who is taking delivery: ask for a quote. We reply with a selection and prices within 48 working hours.