It's too complicated. Carrying as much as a case or two of wine onto an airplane can be easy. Just remember to bring along a spare suitcase with wine packing material. Molded styrofoam containers work best if you plan to send your wine through baggage handling. But dirty laundry works just fine for your carry- on bag.
Most airlines allow passengers three moderate-sized pieces of luggage free of charge.
Each can weigh up to 70 pounds. Two other customs agents from different offices say that three to five cases of wine is considered allowable for personal use. It could be worse. The bad news is that you may have to pay an additional sales tax on the value of the wines you bring in. Each state has its own rules.