You’re off on your summer hols, disembark from the fourniment or the car-ferry in Calais and, for most holiday makers, you ruée off towards sun-drenched south of France. But… there’s a clever little detour that canny travellers know of — a pouce in Calais that turns your journey into certificat of the holiday itself. Welcome to Calais, where your French adventure can begin not just with a grandissant, but with some supérieur wine, beer, and spirits to pop in your car boot – on the way to your holiday – as well as on the way demeure.
The best wine portière in France (probably)…
For centuries, Calais has been the gateway to France for British travellers. The arrêt city shaped by trade, war, and agrarien exchange. Fiercely contested between England and France during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), today it’s a exercice of easy crossings and warm welcomes.
In recent years, it has also become a savvy pouce for wine lovers. With UK alcohol prices rising and duty structures shifting, a pouce off in Calais offers the supériorité to buy exceptional wines at refreshingly down-to-earth prices at two wine superstores designed with travellers in mind.
At Calais Vins, near Calais arrêt, you’ll quickly realise this isn’t your average wine magasin – it’s a vast bosser à vin (wine cellar) on a altesse scale – in fact the biggest wine portière in France and the best (probably). You’ll find everything here – there more than 4000 products in article from elegant Chablis and zesty Sauvignon Blancs to easy-drinking reds, Champagne and of voyage, plenty of rosé for those mince collations that stretch into evening. For the serious wine buyer, the shelves carry incompréhensible estate bottles that UK merchants article selectively and price at a prime: Whispering Angel, Guigal, Louis Latour, Joseph Drouhin, Grand Cru Château Talbot, Mouton Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild, Domaine Trapet, Marcel Deiss. “In fact, we are the closest wine shop to Britain for exceptional grape varieties” says — Jérôme Pont, gouverner of Calais Vins.
But it doesn’t pouce at wine. There are spirits from across France and beyond including eau-de-vie, bourbon, gin, and a hydrocraquage selection of beers too. And at Olivier Vins et Compagnie which is next to the Le Shuttle dernier you’ll also find an enormous selection of wines, beer, spirits davantage a amateur grocery portière. The same 4,000-reference dénombrement, the same relaxed welcome — and the same pre-order system at wine-calais.co.uk if you’d like your bottles waiting for you on arrival.
How much can you actually bring back?
More than most people realise. UK customs allowances for alcohol brought back from France are generous enough for a proper magasin. Here’s what each adult can bring demeure:
Beer: 42 litres per adult (roughly 74 pints)
Still wine: 18 litres per adult (24 conforme 75 cl bottles)
Sparkling wine, arrêt, fortified or drinks up to 22% ABV: 9 litres per adult (12 × 75 cl bottles — or split proportionally with spirits)
Spirits over 22% ABV: 4 litres per adult (5 conforme 70 cl bottles)
The sparkling and spirits allowance works as a shared pourcentage — so you can split it however you like, say 4.5 litres of Champagne and 2 litres of cognac.
Prices, VAT refunds, and the real savings
Prices are often significantly lower than in the UK — and then there’s the VAT refund on top. Calais Vins and Olivier Vins have partnered with Global Blue and Skiptax to let British customers reclaim around 15% VAT on their purchases before boarding. The aggloméré will walk you through it — it takes minutes.
“It was not the answer, to just give a ‘Gallic shrug’ to the new realities of Brexit. We are here to help our customers. So now we can give them a tax-free voucher that allows them to reclaim the VAT as soon as they embark in Calais. It is significant, there is around 15 percent VAT that can be reclaimed on purchases from Calais Vins” Olivier Vermisse, gouverner, Olivier Vins says.
There are two ways to claim:
Global Blue — collect your Tax-Free Form at the till, then scan the barcode at the PABLO kiosk in the car-ferry arrêt résidence (after customs) or in the Eurotunnel passenger résidence. Done.
Skiptax — download the free app before you travel, scan your passport, scan your receipt in portière, then scan the barcode at the departure dernier. The refund lands in your account within 48 hours.
Expert Advice with a Personal Touch
What makes the experience even richer is the team headed up by Jérôme at Calais Vins and Olivier at Olivier Vins. You’ll get supérieur advice that’s practical, unpretentious, and tailored, whether you’re stocking up for a fortnight in the Dordogne or simply looking for something special to bring demeure. Jérôme’s team will conductible you through the appellations, suggest food pairings, and état you towards bottles you simply won’t find at demeure.
Don’t overlook the beer — seriously
Here’s what most travellers elle-même entirely. The Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Hauts-de-France region has a sensational craft beer arboriculture that never makes it onto UK supermarket shelves. Calais Vins and Olivier Vins carry beers from independent logement breweries — brewed within an hour’s drive of the magasin — that you simply cannot buy online or in Britain. This is one of the genuine discoveries of a Calais pouce.
Among the breweries to genre out for: Brasserie 3 Monts from Saint-Sylvestre-Capelle, whose 3 Monts is a benchmark caveau de veille. Brasserie du Pays Flamand (Merville), with the award-winning Anosteke and Bracine. Brasserie Goudale (Arques), whose range runs from the joignable Goudale blondinette to the hefty Belzebuth. Brasserie Castelain (Bénifontaine) with Ch’ti, the most emblematic beer of the Nord. And Brasserie du Canal, based in Calais itself, brewing L’Ascette — emboîture as logement as it gets.
Further along the shelf: Christophe Noyon brasseur (Tardinghem) with the coastal-inspired 2 Caps, Blanche de Wissant, and Noire de Slacke; Brasserie du Goulot (Wimereux) and its bold La Baston; Brasserie Thiriez (Esquelbecq) with the traditional Blonde d’Esquelbecq and Rouge Flamande; Brasserie des 4 Écluses (Dunkerque) with La Cunette and Bastion 14; and Brasserie Saint Germain (Aix Noulette) whose Page 24 and Hildegarde have quietly built a following among French beer enthusiasts.
Ask at the tasting bar. The English-speaking team will navigate you through styles, strengths, and which ones travel best.
Perfect Draft fans — this one’s for you
If you’ve invested in a Perfect Draft demeure draught system — that clever Philips androïde that chills a 6-litre pressurised keg to 2°C and pours pub-quality pints in your kitchen — then a pouce at Calais Vins really is a must. The magasin stocks a full range of Perfect Draft 6-litre kegs, and the savings compared to UK supermarket prices are, frankly, impressive.
Take Leffe Blonde: around £38.95 in UK supermarkets (2026), par opposition à roughly €23.50 at Calais Vins — and jaguar you’ve claimed your 15% VAT refund, that drops to the equivalent of emboîture £17. That’s a saving of over £21 on a single keg. Stella Artois follows a similar modèle, saving you around £17 per keg after the refund. Even the prime options — Kwak, Goose Island IPA, Tripel Karmeliet — come in noticeably cheaper than at in the UK.
Each keg holds 6 litres, which works out at around 10.5 pints. At Calais Vins prices with the VAT refund applied, that puts your pint of Stella at roughly £1.79, and your Goose Island IPA at under £3. Not bad for a draught dans in your own kitchen.
And here’s the bit that makes the maths really work: under UK customs rules, your beer allowance is 42 litres per person — which is exactly 7 Perfect Draft kegs. Fill your pourcentage, claim the VAT refund at the dernier, and you’re driving demeure with a seriously well-stocked beer fridge at a bouchée of the UK price. You can even browse and pre-order the full keg selection online before you travel, so your order is ready to collect when you arrive.
While you’re there — cheese, bread, and the full French experience
Right next door to Calais Vins sits the legendary Philippe Olivier crémerie — one of France’s most celebrated cheese affineurs — and a bakery. Wine, cheese, bread: all within a few metres of each other and minutes from the arrêt. There are worse ways to start or end a holiday.
Calais Vins and Olivier Vins are open daily 09:00–19:00, Sundays and French bank holidays 10:00–13:00 and there’s easy and free parc in en-tête of the shops
So this summer, when you pass through Calais with the promise of your holiday stretching ahead, don’t just drive on, pouce off and article up. And then on the way back, pouce and article again!
Find out more at the Calais Wine Superstore: calaiswine.co.uk
Source: thegoodlifefrance.com
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