Rogue Sommelier

Does size matter? Hmmm? The traditioanal wine bottle is 750 ml (milileters) or 3/4 of a liter, this is about the same size as two bottles of beer. Don't worry though, the alcohol content in one bottle of wine is about the same as a six pack of beer. Wine bottles, however, come in many different sizes, and all of them serve a purpose.

• Single serve bottles (187.5) are great for picnics, tailgate parties, or any time you need wine on the go.
• Half bottles (375ml) or splits are often reserved for sparklings and desert wines such as muscat and ice wine. Desert wines are heavy wines made for sipping and expensive to prdouce. The split is a cost effective form of packaging.
• The everyday bottle we know and love is the good old 750ml.
• Moving right along is the Magnum (not a 357 or 44) is a 1.5 L bottle. This is the bottle that is responsible for serving much of the house wines of the world, and hold approximately 7 glasses. Magnums are great for serving wine by the glass in restaurants or taking along to family functions such as Christmas Eve or Easter dinner. Some people think that only crap wine comes in magnums, but I assure you this is not the case. Champagne is also commonly packaged in Magnums, but Idon't reccomend trying to christen your new BMW with one since the glass of a Champgne bottle is double thick to compensate for the additional pressure of the carbonation.

Jump now to the big boys.  They are nothing short of awe inspring.  Why the biblical names are used for these... I have no idea! i can only guess that it has something to do with wine in "Biblical Proportions" . Seriously though, these giants only come in handy to impress and serve large groups of people at important functions.

• The Double Magnum - 3 liters of joy.
• The Jeroboam (4 full bottles of wine in 1)
• The Rehoboam (4.5 liters... or 6 bottles)
• The Imperial or Methusalem - 6 liters of fun
• The Salmanzar (yes this list keeps going) is 9 liters... or 12 standard bottles.
• The Balthazar - 12 liters - or 16 standard bottles
• The Nebuchadnezzar - can be from 12 to 16 liters... I guess it depends on how drunk the bottle maker was.
• The Sovereign - enough wine for a small kingkom!  30 liters... or 67 standard bottles of vino.  Yowzah!

The Bottom Line

With bottles... bigger is better.  Bigger bottles mean less air... less air means better aging... better aging means better taste.

HOWEVER... Since most of us won't have the several thousands of dollars necessary to purchase some of these big boys... you will find that the magnum is your best bet for keeping wine fresh while serving multiple guest.