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If you are willing to buy spirits by the big bottle or wine by the case, conventional wisdom is that Costco is cheaper.

Costco is the largest wine retailer in the country. Scotch, vodka, gin, etc., also flow out of Costco like, well, liquor. I checked whether Costco is always cheaper than our local wine and spirits sellers.

It’s a spot check, not a scientific, comprehensive survey. Still the results are interesting for Marco imbibers. Deciding where booze is cheaper, Costco or Marco, must take into account the cost of driving to and from Costco.

MapQuest computes the distance from Marco City Hall to Costco as 22.27 miles. Our Honda CRV gets approximately 22 mpg in city driving, so that’s about two gallons for a round trip. At the recent gas price of $2.87, that makes the cost of gas to the big C and back just under $6. If you don’t make any of the lights it could be more (and has anybody ever made the lights through Naples?)

Of course we don’t go to Costco just for alcohol. I also know that gasoline almost always is considerably cheaper there than on the island. Moreover, wine sellers here often have specials at bargain prices. Now, specifics: Let’s say you buy Dewars Scotch in 1.75 litre bottles. At Costco last week the price was $29.99. At Walgreens on Marco, it was on special at $28.99. Island Liquor was asking $31.79. Prefer vodka? Costco was selling Smirnoff 1.75L for $17.95. Walgreens here was $16.99, Island Liquor $17.99. What about gin? Beefeater 1.75L was $28.99 at Costco, $29.99 at Walgreens and $33.99 at Island Liquor.

With these three examples we see that sometimes its cheaper on Marco and sometimes not. Comparing wine prices is tough; it’s often apples and oranges. That’s because not all three outlets surveyed always sell every well-known label. Also, Costco sells wine by the bottle, period, but sometimes the local guys offer discounts, say 10 percent on a full case.

One example of a popular wine that all three outlets carry is Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, 750ml. Costco, at $19.99, Walgreens, $21.99 and Island Liquor, $23.99. Even that’s not very meaningful, of course. If you were rushing in to grab a bottle for your lady, you probably wouldn’t risk ruining the moment by making the trek to Costco. I can hear the conversation now. She says through gritted teeth, “You’re going where? Right now?” You say, seeing the evening slipping away, “But honey, I can save three or four bucks. Honey? Hello?”

So with exceptions for that and other possible emergency situations, the moral of the story probably will be one of the following, your choice. If you’re buying drinks for a wedding reception or a home invasion by the Parrot Heads, Dead Heads or fans of the Stones, Costco may be your best bet. If you need a few bottles of wine for a dinner party for six friends who practice moderation, it would be smart to check with the local sellers before heading up the trail to the land of the giant grocery carts and cardboard boxes that seem to previously have held contained cabbage. And if you’re getting someone some nice wine or spirits in a basket of goodies as maybe a thank you gift, don’t forget the Marco Wine Seller. Jim Bono does a great job of any size basket you like.

Costco is great, but the gift basket might have to be the size of a box car.

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Chris Curle is a former news anchor for CNN and for ABC TV stations in Atlanta, Houston and Washington, D.C. E-mail: chris@chriscurle.com.