A standard case of wine contains 12 bottles of 750ml wine. That's the answer, straight up. But how many bottles in a case of wine isn't always so simple — half cases contain 6 bottles, magnum cases hold just 6 larger bottles, and trade cases come with their own conventions. Whether you're buying, gifting, or storing wine by the case, this is your complete reference.

Twelve bottles of 750ml is the global industry standard, and it has been for well over a century. The number 12 stuck for a practical reason: it divides evenly into halves (6), thirds (4), and quarters (3), making wholesale pricing and portion calculation clean and straightforward. When a restaurant orders two cases, they know they're getting 24 bottles. When a sommelier prices a list, a full case price divides neatly into a per-bottle cost.

Physically, a standard case of wine weighs roughly 18kg or 40lbs when full. That weight matters. It's the reason wine is typically loaded onto shelving from below, why delivery staff use hand trucks, and why you should think twice before stacking more than two cases high without proper racking. Dimensions vary slightly by bottle shape, but a standard 12-bottle cardboard case is approximately 19" x 13" x 7" (48cm x 33cm x 18cm).

A standard case of wine also contains 9 liters of wine in total — useful to know when calculating how many gallons of wine in a case (roughly 2.38 US gallons).

A standard 750ml bottle yields approximately 5 glasses at a 150ml pour — the standard restaurant measure. A case of 12 bottles therefore contains roughly 60 glasses of wine.

Here's what that looks like in practice:

• Dinner party for 10–15 people: one case covers it, assuming 4–6 glasses per person over an evening.
• Reception with 20–25 guests: one case works if wine is one of several drink options and service runs 2–3 hours.
• Seated wedding dinner for 50 guests: expect to need 3–4 cases to cover both a welcome drink and table wine.
• Event where wine is the only drink option: plan on at least one bottle per person, so one case per 12 guests.

A half case contains 6 bottles. It's a common format in retail, particularly for mixed cases or premium wine purchases.

A half case makes more sense than a full case when:

• You're trying a producer or region for the first time and don't want to commit to 12 bottles.
• You're gifting wine and 12 bottles is more than the budget allows.
• Storage space is limited — a half case fits in spaces where a full case won't.
• You're buying expensive wine where 12 bottles represents a significant outlay.

No — and this is where most articles stop short. A standard case assumes 750ml bottles, but cases are sold in other formats, and the bottle count changes accordingly: •

• Half bottles (375ml): 24 per case
• Splits or piccolo bottles (187ml): 24 per case
• Magnums (1.5L): 6 per case

In the on-trade and wholesale market — restaurants, bars, hotels — a case is always 12 bottles of 750ml, and pricing is quoted per case. Full stop. When a wine distributor quotes $180 per case, that means 12 standard bottles at $15 each.

In retail, the term is used more loosely. You'll encounter:

• Mixed cases: 12 bottles across different wines, often curated by a retailer or wine club.
• Half cases sold as 'cases': 6 bottles, typically of a single wine, at a case discount.
• Wine club shipments described as 'cases': sometimes 6, sometimes 12, depending on the subscription tier.

When comparing prices — especially online — always confirm whether the case price quoted is for 12 standard 750ml bottles or something else. The difference matters significantly when you're calculating cost per bottle. This is one of the most common sources of confusion when buying wine in larger quantities.

The price range is enormous. Here's an honest breakdown:

• Entry-level everyday drinking wine: $80–$120 for 12 bottles ($7–$10 per bottle) • Mid-range: $150–$360 ($12–$30 per bottle) — this covers most quality restaurant-by-the-glass wine
• Premium: $400–$1,000 ($33–$83 per bottle) — regional classics, small producers, critic-recognized bottles
• Fine wine: $1,000–$50,000+ — classified Bordeaux, Burgundy grand cru, cult California Cabernet

The case discount is the obvious argument in favor. At a 10–15% saving per bottle on a mid-range wine, buying 12 bottles instead of individual bottles saves you $15–$50 on a single case purchase. Over a year of regular wine buying, that adds up meaningfully.

Other reasons to buy by the case:

• Consistency: serving the same wine throughout a dinner party is far smoother than mixing bottles.
• Cellaring: buying a case lets you open bottles at different stages as the wine develops — something impossible with a single bottle.
• Convenience: one case purchase replaces six separate trips to the bottle shop.

Different wine regions and styles have their own case conventions:

• Bordeaux: standard cases of 12, but en primeur (futures) are commonly sold in lots of 6 or 12.
• Burgundy grand cru: frequently sold in cases of 6 due to limited production and high per-bottle cost. Committing to 12 bottles of a top Burgundy can mean $5,000+ upfront.
• Champagne: sold in cases of 6 or 12 for standard bottles, 24 for splits. How many bottles are in a case of Champagne depends on the format — 6 or 12 for 750ml.
• Port: vintage Port is typically sold in cases of 6; entry-level and ruby Ports in cases of 12.
• Bag-in-box wine: sold by volume (typically 3L or 5L boxes) rather than bottle count. No 'case' convention applies in the same way.
• New World producers (Napa, Barossa, Marlborough): almost universally use 12-bottle cases for standard bottles.

A standard pallet holds 56 cases of 12 standard 750ml bottles, totaling 672 bottles and approximately 504 liters of wine. For commercial buyers, restaurant groups, and large event planners, this is the relevant unit. A pallet order typically qualifies for freight shipping rather than per-case delivery, which reduces cost per case meaningfully for high-volume buyers.

Pallet dimensions vary slightly by country, but a standard EUR pallet (120cm x 80cm) stacked with wine cases reaches roughly 1.5m in height. US pallets (48" x 40") follow similar stacking conventions. If you're planning a delivery or calculating warehouse storage, assume 1 pallet occupies approximately 10–12 square feet of floor space.