When you’re buying wine for a party or an event, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the options. There are so many different types of wines and labels that it can be hard to know which one is best for your party.
Many people find it hard to know what to buy or how much to buy. That’s why it’s important to know how many bottles are in a case of wine. If you’re hosting a party, you’ll want to consider how many cases of wine to buy.
How many Bottles are in a Case of Wine?
In a standard case of wine, you will receive 12 bottles of wine. In exceptional situations, some cases also have 6 bottles of wine. For example, Champagne usually comes in a case of six.
Each wine bottle (if standard size) contains 750 milliliters of wine.
Therefore, if you have 12 bottles, you will have 9 liters or 2.3 gallons of wine in one case of wine. Just make sure you have a good wine opener that can handle the long wine list you have created.
The Benefits of buying a Case of Wine
- When you buy a case of red wine for your event, you will end up saving money in the long run. Purchasing wine bottles for a large event will ramp up a significant price. But, opting for a case of wine will save you money in the long run.
- Many retailers give a discount for their cases of wine – typically 10% – 15% off what the entire situation would cost if you bought the wine bottles individually.
- Buying a case of wine makes it easier and is a great option for larger parties like weddings.
- It is very easy to store the case of wine as it is, without any risk of the wine bottles breaking.
How many Cases Should You Buy?
The biggest question when it comes to planning a party is how many cases you should buy for your guests. There is a simple formula that you can follow that will allow you to accurately estimate how many cases of wine would be sufficient for your occasion.
1. Calculate total number of glasses of Wine you will need
Let’s say you were inviting 100 guests to your wedding. If the wedding lasts for four hours, you will do the following equation:
100 guests X 4 hours X 1 glass/hour = 400 glasses.
2. Number of bottles of Wine required = Glasses / 5
Then, you take the 400 wine glasses and divide it by five glasses that you find in each bottle. You will get 80 bottles of wine. And, if you wanted to make sure that both wine lovers are taken care (red and white lovers), you can divide the 80 by 2 to get 40 bottles of red and 40 bottles of white.
If you have figured out that you need 80 bottles of wine for your 4-hour wedding for 100 guests, you will then need to figure out how many cases you will need.
3. Number of Cases of Wine Required = Bottles Required / 12
Divide the 80 bottles of wine you will need to keep the 100 guests happy at a wedding by 12 (how many bottles are in a standard case), and you will get 6.6 cases.
Round that up to 7 cases of wine, and your wedding is sure to be a hit, with wine glasses never being empty.
How Much does a Case of Wine Cost?
As with anything, there are expensive and inexpensive options. What you should decide is what kind of budget you are willing to have when it comes to buying cases of wine for your party.
You can certainly find inexpensive, yet great tasting, wines that cost anywhere from $6 – $12 when bought in bulk cases. If you want to spend less than that, you probably won’t be able to keep to that budget.
The best thing about buying a case of wine is that buying in bulk guarantees a bulk discount of at least 10% – 15%!
How Should You Select Your Wine?
Remember that there are many different wine lovers out there. Buying multiple cases of red wine may not do your party much service. However, if you choose a variety of wine to compose your case of wine, you will be sure to please everyone.
A great way to start with your wine selections is to choose:
- Five bottles of red wine
- Five bottles of white wine
- Two sparkling wines
Make sure to choose some bold and light red wine and white wine to keep the selection interesting and versatile, and that you will always have a wine bottle of the variety you prefer at hand.
Choosing the wine to create an exceptional case for your next party can be easy and affordable! Hope it will be easier to order wines at the next social event you plan. Do check our reviews of the different black box wines.
The standard case of wine is a 12 bottle, cardboard box case. With 6 bottle cases also coming in at a close second. Their dimensions are:
- 12 Bottle Wine Case: 334 x 250 x 322 mm or 13.15 x 9.84 x 12.60 inches
- 6 Bottle Wine Case: 306 x 204 x 350 mm or 12.04 x 8.03 x 13.77 inches
Sizes from Kite Packaging, listed in Length x Width x Height.
Wooden Wine Cases
If you’re getting a higher end case of wine, or one from a vinery, you may be lucky enough to have it delivered in a wooden wine case.
Their average dimensions are:
- 12 Bottle Wine Crate: 495 x 330 x 178 mm or 19.5 x 13 x 7 inches
- 6 Bottle Wine Crate: 330 x 280 x 178 mm or 13 x 11 x 7 inches
Sizes from Wood Wine Crate & Boxes, listed in Length x Width x Height.
How Much Does Shipping Wine Cost?
Shipping and handling fees are often just an ‘add-on’, which is why this one really surprised me.
Wine can cost over $50 to ship a case! Granted, this is from coast to coast, but it’s still a whopping surcharge to add on to a case of wine.
This is why wine clubs and online deals are so popular. They generally will handle the shipping costs, letting you spend more of your budget on the actual wine you’re going to enjoy.
If you’re looking to ship wine, I recommend doing it through a wine club. Buying online and using free (or discounted) shipping is a much cheaper way than organising to send it yourself.
While we’re at it, it’s important to know..
It’s Illegal To Send Wine Yourself
Or at least, it can be.
This is a whole thing. Basically, alcohol and shipping laws related to alcohol were written after the 21st amendment repealed Prohibion (in the 1930’s). It leaves shipping regulation up to individual states, which means you’re looking at 50 different sets of laws when it comes to shipping alcohol.
That’s not to say it’s impossible to send wine yourself. It isn’t always, but it might be. And what it will cost (guaranteed) is a whole bunch of your time not only researching how to do it, but also filling out paperwork. Not exactly fun.
Better to send a case via an online retailer (as well as getting yourself one to celebrate saving so much time).
Why Does It Cost So Much To Ship Wine?
This is honestly a good question. The high cost comes from a whole bunch of factors which all have their own costs.
- Firstly, alcohol shipping is one of the top tiers in terms of the amount of paperwork involved from the shipping company.
- This includes a signature requirement, which is an immediate surplus charge.
- Alcohol is almost always sent to a home – which means potential missed deliveries (another surplus charge).
- When shipping to a home, the case also can’t just be left outside like an Amazon delivery.
- Wine is heavy – one of the heaviest goods to send by square inch. It’s a hell of a lot harder to move a truck of wine than a truck of toilet paper!
- Expensive wines may demand shipping in a climate controlled vehicle. Guess what… $$.
- Small orders. One case of wine will last most people a good while, but it’s a relatively small amount to ship. Larger orders will discount the price, but it’s rare someone looks to order more than 12-24 bottles at once.
Ways to Get Wine Delivered for Free
Wine is expensive enough – so blowing some of the budget on shipping and handling is almost a sin. Here’s a few ways that you can keep your money flowing directly into delicious wine, and not into cardboard boxes or shipping trucks.
- Join a Wine Club with Free Shipping. You can find a good list of affordable options on Greatist here.
- Spend a certain amount on online wine stores. For example, buying 6 or more bottles of eligible wine at MarketViewLiquor.
- Become a Wine Steward for $49 at Wine.com. This is honestly one of the best options since they have an amazing and broad selection of wine. The reason it’s so cheap is that they essentially lock you into buying from only them. But for a low price of around $4 a month, who’s complaining?
Conclusion
It turns out that a case of wine has a lot going on behind it.
The weight of it, the size of it, the shipping costs and logistics – it’s a lot of effort.
Thankfully, the delicious drink that awaits you inside is worth every second and dollar!
I hope this quick guide has helped clear up your questions on the weight of wine and how to ship it. If you have any other questions you’d like answered, please shoot me a message via the contact form.
Cheers!
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