Maybe you are going to host a party and aren’t sure how many bottles of wine you will need. Perhaps you are thinking about getting a case of wine or maybe even two, depending on the size of your gathering.
However, do you know how many bottles of wine there are in a case and how many glasses of wine you will get out of them? It is important to know so that you don’t buy too little or too much.
Too much isn’t so bad as you can use the wine on other occasions but too little can ruin the party. After all, you don’t want your guests to go thirsty. In this article, we will be taking a look at how many bottles of wine are in a case.
How Many Bottles Are There in a Case of Wine?
The answer to this isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. In fact, there is more than one answer and we will focus on them here.
A Case of Wine with 12 Bottles
A case of wine with 12 bottles is the standard size and the one you would most commonly be able to purchase. The case normally contains 12 bottles of 750 ml each. This totals 9 liters or 2.4 gallons.
If you consider that most serving sizes of wine contain 5 oz, this means that a bottle will serve approximately 5 glasses, totaling 60 glasses for a case.
A Case of Wine with 6 Bottles
Yes, a case of wine can also contain just six bottles. However, when it comes to six bottles, the bottles can be of different sizes. They could each be one and a half liters, double the size of a standard bottle.
In this case, you would still get 9 liters of wine and 60 glasses out of the case.
On the other hand, there could be six bottles of 750 ml each. In that case, you would get 4.5 liters of wine from the case and approximately 30 glasses.
The last scenario is that the case contains six bottles of 375 ml each. From this case, you would get 2.25 liters of wine and just 15 glasses. This would probably only suit a small gathering.
A Case of Wine with Other Numbers of Bottles
Sometimes you will get a case of wine with a different number of bottles than 6 or 12. This is unusual but it can happen. There are bigger bottles than 1.5 liters, such as the jeroboam which holds 3 liters of wine, and the rehoboam which is even bigger and holds 4.5 liters.
In this case, don’t be surprised to get anywhere between just 2 and 4 bottles in a case. Quite often, the total of wine in these bottles totals 9 liters of wine which is the most common amount found in a case of wine.
On the other hand, very occasionally, you get more than 12 bottles of wine in a case. However, generally, the bottles will be small, for example, they could just hold 375 ml. or even 187.5 ml.
Comparison Table
Hopefully, this all makes sense to you but we have composed a table to make things clear.
Case 12 bottles 6 bottles 6 bottles 6 bottles 9-liter
Large size Standard size Half-size Unspecified
Number of Bottles 12 6 large bottles 6 standard bottles 6 half-size bottles
Volume 9 liters 9 liters 4.5 liters 2.25 liters 9 liters
Number of Servings 60 60 30 15 60
This should give you an idea of how much wine you should buy for your gathering. It’s not, however, likely that you will get more than 9 liters of wine in a case or less than 2.25 liters. It’s better to buy more wine rather than less as you can always save any leftovers for another day.
If the wine isn’t opened, it can last for several years. White and rose wine lasts for between 1 and 2 years, red and sparkling wine for between 2 and 3 years, and fine wines can last for decades.
When it comes to opened wine, white and rose wines last for between 2 and five days, red for between 3 and 7 days, sparkling wine for between 1 and 3 days, and fortified wine for up to 3 weeks.
It is always best to store opened wine in the fridge, even red wine. You can always take it out of the fridge half an hour before serving so that it reaches the correct temperature for serving.
Is It a Good Idea to Buy a Case of Wine?
So now that we have told you about how many bottles you can expect to get in a case of wine, here comes the important question. Is it worth it? We think it is and here are a few reasons why.
The Discount
Some people think that you might as well buy single bottles of wine because you can then get just as many as you think you will need. It all costs the same, after all, doesn’t it? Well, this isn’t always the case.
In fact, most of the time you will get a discount if you buy a case or more. You could even get as much as 20% off the wine which is certainly something to consider. If you are having a big gathering, it could amount to a big saving.
Of course, wine shops offer their own discounts, but 20% is standard. If you are buying a lot of cases at the same time, you might even be able to negotiate a bigger discount. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
Build Up Your Stock
If you like to always have a stock of wine in your house, buying a case is a good idea. You will then never have to worry about running out of wine.
The Variety
Many wine shops will sell you a mixed case of wine. You can get a mix of red and white wines and even rose and sparkling. This is great if you’re having a party as you will then be able to cater to everyone’s tastes.
Quite often, you are allowed to pick your selection but at some wine shops, they will choose for you. If you know and trust your wine shop, this is a good way to go as they have excellent wine knowledge.
Another option when it comes to getting cases of wine, is to join the wine club of your local winery. Because they make their own wine, they will know what to recommend according to your tastes.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, we have answered all your questions about how many bottles of wine are in a case. To sum up, the standard number is 12 but it can be six and sometimes, even two or four although this is rare.
Generally, if you are holding a party or gathering, a case or two of wine doesn’t go amiss.
