I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I am planning to buy bottles of sparkling wine, decorate them (to the point where it won't be possible to read the label anymore) and cross the border to the Washington state (USA) by road. I have not quite decided on the number of bottles but probably of the order of 10 bottles.
The bottles are meant to be gifted at Burning Man. They are not meant for commercial purposes but they are not for personal consumption either.
Additional info: I am a Swiss citizen, I am older than 21 year old and I have travelled to (and lived for 6 months in) the USA before. I will take the bill from the liquor store with me just in case.
How much trouble am I going to have? Because homemade wine are subject to same rules that store bought wine (according to this source), I am hoping that decorating the bottles won't matter too much. Are they going to believe me that I mean to gift and not sell all these bottles?
How much tax should I expect to pay? I think this source suggests that I will likely pay around 3% (on everything above the exemption; 1 liter is allowed if I am not mistaken) extra when entering the USA. Is it a realistic expectation?
Any general advice? Of course, I mean to declare them and I mean to be polite!