Spirit of France in a Bottle

With daily flights from Europe, the stores of St. Martin/St. Maarten are regularly stocked with the best wines that France has to offer. The island has no fewer than five major wine importers-an enormous number, consider the island's relatively small size-resulting in a diversity of selection that will please every taste.

Before stocking up on wine or liquor, be mindful that U.S. citizens must pay duty on any quantity exceeding the standard two-bottle limit. But since the duty is usually just 10 percent of the wholesale cost, bringing back extra bottles still usually results in a tremendous bargain. Keep your receipts and make sure to declare the most expensive bottles under your duty-free limit.

Entire encyclopedias have been written about how to buy French wine. The best suggestion: follow your nose and your taste buds, and buy what's right for you and your pocketbook. Generally speaking, the best buys in French wines these days are found in the Beaujolais-Villages and Cotes du Rhone varieties. In slightly a more expensive category, there are also some good values in several of the Pouilly-Fuisses labels, as well as the Cruzes-Hermitage. Expect to pay more, often a lot more, for the Bordeaux and Burgundy varieties that are the perennial heavy-hitters among serious collectors. But if you shy away from paying more than a few bucks for a bottle of wine back home, now is the time to splurge. On St. Martin/St. Maarten, a bottle of French wine that sells for $30 could easily cost $50-plus in the United States.

The largest wine store on the island is Le Grand Marche in Prime Plaza. With more than 1,000 selections, this specialty wine boutique, within a gourmet grocery store, can satisfy any budget and taste.

Vinissimo Boutique in Marigot and Anguilla, also has outstanding selections of wines and hard-to-find vintages.

You can spend days shopping in St. Maarten/St. Martin and not visit the same store twice! So much to buy - so little time... visit our Shopping Guide and get full details about each merchant before you go. Print our shopping maps and take them with you.