threads like this always remind me of a classic thread where the subject was, “what’s the wine you’ve bought the most of?” Three, six, ten cases were bandied about until Rob Romania shut down the thread with his answer: 500 cases of 96 Salon. Albeit they were six bottle cases, but jaw dropping was heard throughout the internet.
Too many variables to consider to give you one number.
3 my preferred purchase and that is down from when I was younger. I am thinking that even 3 is too many and am starting to pick up ones-es and twos-es. As I have decreased the quantity my cost/bottle continues to climb.
This is a great discussion point. I’d say that it depends…I buy very few wines by the case. If I had a basement or unlimited storage I think I’d be tempted to buy more by the case. However, I buy most in either 3 or 4 bottle increments. Price often dictates how many of a wine I buy. I try to buy GC Burgs in 2 or 3 bottles if I can swing it. Riesling I usually buy 3 or 4 bottles, and more if it’s a great vintage or a special wine. Barolo or Barbaresco in quantities of 3 usually buy if I know I like a wine it could be 6 or 4. So I guess I’m all over the place…
I try to keep a purchase under a hundred bucks, so do the math. The outliers being some culty stuff from W2 where 3 or 6 get you in the game.
Did he buy an extra bottle so he could try it young?
A collector friend of mine buys 13 and 7. This way she sells off more attactive packaging when she decides to cut something loose.
NOTA…I’ll either get a full case, or 7-8 bottles…usually the latter. One or two to kill in their youth and another six once they’re 15+ from vintage.
From the ITB side, specifically in tasting rooms, I see more 2-4 bottle purchases from guests. Wine Club members are typically 4-6 bottles…especially when the “club discount” is factored in.
Misunderstood the question when I answered the poll. When purchasing a particular wine, I tend to buy in threes, but if it is a new producer to me and I am interested in one of their top wines, I will also typically buy a couple of their more entry level wines to see how they handle less exalted fruit. It generally gives me a sense of when to drink the other wines and a general idea of the “house style”. So typically I will buy things in half-case quantities, but not often a half case of a single wine, though that is what I answered up top.
Depends on the wine and the price. I backfill a decent amount, in which case I always try to go for at least two bottles. For newer releases, ideally I’d go with half a case, but then I also buy Burgundy, so that’s not really possible. 
Kinda like the “biggest bottle” thread. That was glorious.
Usually three or six. Two if I’ve blown my budget but I really want something.
To be fair, if I had to pick one and only one wine to drink for the rest of my life, 96 Salon would be a strong contender.
These days, I generally go for 6 bottles of anything but Bordeaux where I do full cases. I am about done with new vintages at this point, and on backfilling I am focusing mainly on mid-range Bordeaux, German Spatlesen and premier cru Burgundies.
At this point I have tasted pretty much everything out there I ever wanted to taste, and then some, and so now I am focused 100% on the wines I love most and would want to enjoy many times. And given that I generally prefer wine in more casual settings and with more robust/simple food, I am now that person who would rather have 6 Nuits St. Georges than 2-3 grand cru bottles- to give a general example.
Usually go for 6, never less than 3. With 3 it’s try 1 fairly soon and have at least 2 to cellar. How we at this stage rarely adding something totally new to the mix. So worst case is I have something eh from someone I know, like and trust.
I answered 6 but the truth is that it varies. Great stuff that age a decade plus and are values get purchased by the case, Wines that have a more modest lifespan, say a decade, are purchased by the half case, as are many daily drinkers. Daily drinkers with a more modest lifespan that I like to add in to the mix are purchased in 3s. Magnums for parties, which are typically good but not great wines, get purchased 2 or 3 at a time. I rarely buy single bottles unless it’s something I’ve never really had before.
On average it’s 4, but that is in fact an average.
Forgetting issue with limited allocations, my usual strategy is to buy 2 of something new to me, but 6 of wines I know and like. A new wine gets two chances to impress, and 6 bottles is enough to sacrifice one young, then follow the rest of the expected lifespan of the wine.
I used to buy solid cases (e.g. 64 solid cases of 2001 German Rieslings), but those days are behind me. A solid case buy is now very rare.
NOTA: From a Tagalog gay slang nota (“the penis”). Displaced by notch.
Noun
nota
(obsolete) the penis
I like this strategy. I used to go the 2 bottle try out route also, but find myself usually taking a one bottle test drive now. If I decide to buy more, it is often 3 or 6.