Height of a standard champagne bottle. Guide to wine bottle sizes

Champagne is the favorite sparkling drink of many modern people. It is bottled in special bottles, which are divided into two most famous varieties:

standard – 750 ml. Such bottles are familiar to almost all champagne connoisseurs, since in most cases the sparkling drink is poured into such containers, after which it is put up for sale.
magnum – 1.5 l. These are bottles that are less common, but they provide storage for the highest quality sparkling wine. In such a bottle, less oxygen is concentrated, and the bubbles are created at a unique size. The cost of champagne in such bottles is almost twice as high as the cost of the drink in standard bottles.

However, along with such bottles, there are also other varieties, but much less common, and therefore unfamiliar to most residents:

Jeroboam (3 l);
Methuselah (6 l);
Rehoboam (4.5 l);
Shalmaneser (9 l);
Nebuchadnezzar (18 l);
Belshazzar (12 l);
Solomon (24 l);
Cupronickel (18 l);
Melchizedek (30 l)
Primate (27 l).
Quarter (200 ml);
Half (375 ml).

Sometimes champagne producers can create a bottle that is aimed at a specific person; such a bottle does not go into production. Among these bottles, the most famous was a special bottle (0.59 l), created for Churchill, who was served champagne in it every day strictly at eleven o’clock in the morning.

The pressure inside the bottle is created quite high, exceeding three times the pressure found in car wheels. The pressure varies from bottle to bottle. The larger the bottle, the greater the pressure.

Labels and stickers

Labels must be placed on a bottle of champagne to increase its attractiveness. The label itself reaches a width of 12 cm and a height of 8 cm. Along with it, a counter label (7 cm x 8 cm) and a kinglet (55 mm x 40 mm x 150 mm) are also placed for decoration.

The first description of glass products dates back to the 7th millennium BC. e., but until the middle of the 17th century, glass bottles were rather a rare exception. Wood (barrels) and clay (amphoras) were used to store wines.

The tradition of making glass containers for wine appeared after British craftsmen replaced wood-burning kilns with higher-temperature coal kilns, greatly simplifying the production of glass and glass products. Vessels of a dark green color were popular; the shoulder of those bottles was pronounced. Descriptions of such glass containers can be found in many literary works of that time.

Nowadays, glass bottles are a popular glass production product. Their varied shapes are dictated by their purpose, providing convenience and optimal conditions for storing contents.

A significant share of produced glass containers is purchased by wineries. Bottles for varietal wine have different shapes, sizes, volumes, but, as a rule, they have a neck of the same diameter - for a standard cork, the material for which is wood or polymers.

Peculiarities

A wine bottle can be roughly divided into the following parts: the neck (in the upper part), the shoulder, the main part (in many vessels it has the shape of a cylinder) and the bottom.

The shape of many bottles takes into account such a feature of wine as sediment. It is present in all types of natural wines. The sediment depends on the color of the wine. In white wines, sediment precipitates in the form of crystals; in red wines, it forms brownish flakes or a crust on the glass. How much sediment falls depends on the type of wine and its quality. The sediment indicates the high quality of the product. Often the bottom of a bottle for aged red wine is made with a depression called a punt.

A narrow neck reduces the surface of contact between wine and air and allows you to standardize the cork.

Wood (cork oak) is used for high-quality capping of wines. The largest producer of wine bottle stoppers is Portugal, where the cork tree grows.

Most wine bottles fit into the standard: the gauge (neck inside) has a diameter of 18.5 mm and increases to 21 mm, moving to the main part of the glass container.

Classification

Glass wine vessels with a capacity of 750 ml are considered standard. They produce containers for wines of a different capacity. Some types of bottles are made for a specific brand of wine.

The shape, color, size of the glass container depends on what drink it is intended for. In recent years, large containers for wines (up to 30 liters) have become in demand.

Sizes: standard and non-standard

An important characteristic of wine containers is volume. Most often, wine is bottled in 750 ml containers (standard size). But there are exceptions to the rules. What does Magnum Champagne mean? Just a volume equal to two standard ones - 1.5 liters (“magnum” from Latin - “large”). Since the beginning of the 18th century, wine bottles of different sizes began to be given names.

The "normal" (standard) 750 ml bottle is called "Imperial". Small 200 ml containers are “quarter” or “Split”, larger containers (375 ml) are “half” or “Demi”. Large volumes of wine vessels are measured in “magnums.”

The largest bottle of wine was made in Australia, the height was 1.8 m, the weight was 585 kg, the volume was 387 containers of 750 ml.

Type and shape of wine bottles

How many different types of glass drink containers are there? It’s difficult to answer this question today, but most famous winemakers adhere to traditions in choosing bottles for their product. Bordeaux type, English type or Burgundy type. The volume of the container may be different, but the shape is maintained.

English

Until the end of the 18th century, the shape of the English wine bottle changed, gradually acquiring harmonious shapes. Around 1800, harmony was achieved. Since then, the English type has remained the same: a cylindrical, massive product, made of dense and very dark green glass. They have a long, barrel-shaped neck and no punt at the bottom. Almost all sherries from Spain and ports from Portugal are bottled in English-style glass bottles.

Bordeaux

The most popular red wine vessels in the world are Bordeaux. They can be recognized by their characteristic shoulders.
Description. The height varies from 28 to 34 centimeters, diameter - from 7 to 8. The height of the neck, according to the standard, should be approximately a quarter of the height of the bottle. Their bottom is slightly concave. Thanks to this form, the sediment that is present in red wines does not fall into the glasses.

Before opening the intoxicating drink, the bottle must be placed vertically so that the sediment collects in the grooves around the perimeter. In addition, the Bordeaux shoulder has a protruding shape and also retains sediment.

Bordeaux bottles of dark green color are intended for dry red wines, light green - for white, transparent vessels - for sweet rose and white wines. Some varieties of dry white wines are also packaged in transparent containers.

Wine lovers should take into account that a classic “Bordeaux bottle” is understood as a container with a height of no more than 30 cm. This is the size that wine cabinets and standard retail equipment are made for. A large bottle may not fit in a standard bar.

Burgundy and Rhone

Burgundy bottles have smooth shapes, an unexpressed shoulder, and an elongated neck. This is the second most popular glass container for wine.
The Rhône is slightly different from the Burgundy in that it has a smaller diameter and its shoulder is more angular. Rhone winemakers always use a collierette on the top of the vessel.

Description. This type of glass container differs from Bordeaux glass in size (its height is from 27 to 31.5 cm, width - from 8-9 cm), as well as a more massive base. Classic Burgundy is made of green glass, but there are also transparent ones.

Rhine flute

These glass vessels, which are called “flute”, are similar to Burgundy ones, but more beautiful, as if elongated.

Description. They are quite tall (31-35 cm) and narrow (7.5-8 cm in diameter), the shoulder is flat.

The first description of glass products dates back to the 7th millennium BC. e., but until the middle of the 17th century, glass bottles were rather rare. Flute bottles appeared in Germany. They bottle wine from German grape varieties. They also differ in color: in the Rhine they are brown, in the Mosel they are green. This type of packaging is common not only in Germany, but also in neighboring France (Alsace), Austria and Switzerland. They are widely used for Riesling and dessert wines.

Champagne

Description. Massive (weight 900 g) made of green glass (volume 750 ml). Its height is 30 cm, diameter is 8.5 cm. The shoulder is not pronounced. The largest bottle of champagne is 30 liters.

There can be no sediment in the champagne, but there is a punt at the bottom. The concave bottom creates conditions for convenient and safe transportation of products: the neck of one bottle is inserted into the bottom of another. This provides rigid fixation and allows glass vessels to be positioned more compactly during transportation and storage. This shape of the bottom also allows you to redistribute the pressure, directing it to the walls of the container. This type of container is suitable for any sparkling drinks.

Today sparkling wines poured into transparent containers. But sunlight has a detrimental effect on the taste of wine, so products in colorless containers are sold in beautiful cardboard boxes (for expensive varieties, the material for the box can be wood) or in paper packaging. UV protection is important for wines that “age” for a long time in glass bottles. The darker the glass, the more reliably the wine products are protected.

Not long ago, wooden wine bottles were introduced. Wood is a natural material, harmless to the environment. Inside the container, the wood (ash) is covered with a protective layer. Perhaps this product will become a competitor to glass wine vessels. Link to uniqueness: http://text.ru/antiplagiat/56f58d283e122

Not many of us actually know why the standard volume of a wine bottle is 750 ml. We will help you figure out this and other dimensions, so that on occasion you can show off your erudition and impress your friends with your knowledge. Welcome to our guide to wine bottle sizes!

Small bottles

It's hard to believe, but there are times in life when standard bottle 750 ml of wine is simply too much. For example, when you are in a restaurant, after which you will need to drive. Or when you just want to drink just a little on a lonely weeknight at home. Or when you sit in a narrow airplane seat.

It is for such occasions that wine is sometimes produced in smaller bottles. There are basically two sizes available, defined in fractions of a standard bottle size:

One quarter standard bottle or 187.5 ml

This volume is known as quarter or Piccolo(from Italian “small”). These tiny bottles are mainly used to serve champagne and other sparkling wines to one person. They are most often used in public places such as hotels, airplanes, stadiums or nightclubs. Sometimes they are also called Split, Pony or Snipe.

Half a standard bottle or 375 ml

Half or Demi(from the French "half") contains about two glasses of wine. The French sometimes call this volume Fillette, which translates as "little girl".

Many halves are made with cork, and not with screw cap. This means that when you open them, you can hear a pleasant popping sound, like when opening standard bottles.

But keep in mind: wine ages faster in small bottles! As such, they are not intended for long-term storage - even if they contain aged wine.

Standard bottle

In fact, there is no exact answer to the question of why wine bottles today contain exactly 750 milliliters of drink. Only one thing is certain: it has become a global standard.

A short history helps to understand how we got here. Until the 19th century, glass wine bottles were not very widespread. Before this, wine was mainly stored in amphorae or wooden barrels. But after wine began to be bottled en masse, both in continental Europe and in the UK they suddenly began to be produced in the same size.

This is especially surprising when you consider that the British initially had official glass containers in the size of 1/5 of the “imperial gallon” - about 900 ml, while other Europeans adopted bottles of 700-800 ml. The US officially adopted the 750 ml bottle as a standard in 1979, equating it to 1/5 of a US gallon (757 ml).

There are only two most common theories about why 750 ml:

— Because such a volume can easily be blown out by the average glass blower in one exhalation;
— Because that’s exactly how much the average wine drinker can drink over a meal.

Today in Europe, only some regions allow a different bottle standard - as a rare exception to European legislation. For example, Clavelin from French wine region Jura is bottled in 0.62 liter bottles.

Magnum bottle

Wine bottle Magnum contains the equivalent of two standard 750 ml bottles, i.e. 1.5 liters. This is by far the most popular of the large formats, and the name adopted in all regions: the word magnum is used in Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne.

It is also the only large format that is not named after a biblical king or historical figure: the name comes from the Latin word magnus, meaning " big" In fact, the term "magnum" is used quite often by different brands that offer a product that is larger than others - for example, for some ice cream or a pistol.

Magnum good not only because it contains more wine, but also because the wine in it ages more slowly than in a standard bottle. This happens because less oxygen penetrates into the wine contained in a larger bottle. It is for this reason that collectors and wine connoisseurs often prefer this particular volume.

But because of this, and the relative rarity of this format, a bottle of Magnum usually costs more than two standard bottles of the same wine.

Double Magnum

As the name suggests, double Magnum is the equivalent of two large bottles and contains 3 liters of drink. As you can easily calculate, a double Magnum is equivalent to four standard bottles or approximately 20 glasses of wine.

In the French region of Champagne, double magnum is called Hierobus(Jeroboam) - in honor of the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, who reigned for 22 years at the end of the 10th century.

As with all large-format bottles, the Double Magnum ages the wine more slowly, generally keeping the aromas fresh for longer.

Wine bottles double magnum and bottles of champagne Hierobus are rare - and much rarer than Magnum. As a rule, they produce limited quantities of wine and are filled by hand.

Accordingly, when buying a double Magnum, you are usually paying more than for two Magnums, and even more so than for 4 standard bottles of wine.

Bottle of Rehoboam

Rehoboam(Rehoboam) is a large format wine bottle containing 4.5 liters of liquid. This is enough to fill about 30 glasses of wine or 6 standard 750 ml bottles.

Rehoboam was the king of Israel, the son of King Solomon. The name translates as "multiplying people- which is probably why it was chosen to name such generously sized wine bottles.

4.5 liter bottles are rare. They are typically hand-filled in very limited quantities, and are only used by the very top wine estates whose clients can afford such luxury. After all, it’s clear what Rehoboam you will have to pay a lot more than for 6 standard bottles.

As with all large format wine bottles, the wine at Raboam ages slowly. Note! In Bordeaux, wine bottles with a volume of 4.5 liters are called Hierobos - while champagne Hierobos in the same region contains 3 liters.

Bottle Imperial

Imperial or Methuselah(Mathusalem) is a large format bottle of wine containing 6 liters of liquid. This is enough to fill about 40 glasses or 8 standard bottles.

It's confusing that the title Imperial used in the Bordeaux region, while Champagne, Burgundy and other regions call such bottles Methuselah.

If the term Imperial probably refers to the past greatness of the French Empire, then Methuselah was the king of Israel and the grandfather of that same Noah with the ark. The Hebrew Bible reports that he was the man who lived the longest, living to be 969 years old.

Not surprisingly, the wine ages even slower in the Methuselah/Imperial bottle than in other large formats.

Six-liter bottles are very rare. They are usually hand-filled and only produced by leading wine estates for individual customers.

Bottle of Shalmaneser

Shalmaneser(Salmanazar) - large sized wine bottles containing 9 liters (if everything is in order) of drink. This is enough to fill about 60 glasses or 12 standard bottles.

The name is generally accepted in all regions.

From history we know about several kings named Shalmaneser who ruled in Assyria. Why this name was chosen for the nine-liter bottle is unknown.

The 9-liter format is even rarer than the above-mentioned ones and costs even more.

Super sized bottles

There seems to be no limit to how big a wine bottle can be. Typically, super-large wine bottles are named after the following biblical kings or historical characters:

Balthazar- contains 12 liters of wine or the equivalent of 16 standard bottles. Named in honor of one of the three wise men who brought gifts at the Nativity of Jesus.

Nebuchadnezzar- contains 15 liters of wine, which is equivalent to 20 750 ml bottles. The bottle is named after the famous king of Babylon,

Cupronickel- holds 18 liters of wine or 24 standard bottles. Melchior was the name of another of the three wise men who brought gifts to Jesus.

Well, the most gigantic and rare wine bottles are usually filled with champagne and sparkling wines. Among them Prima(primat) - 27 liters or 36 standard bottles and seems to be the largest bottle to date Melchizedek

The average consumer of sparkling wine is accustomed by producers to buying the product in a container that has long been familiar to him - a dense glass bottle with a volume of 750 ml. It’s unlikely that anyone would have thought that its dimensions could be tens of times larger, and not everyone had the opportunity to see such a miracle. And in general, glass containers of the shape and type that we are accustomed to now have not existed for very long, and have been used for storing and transporting champagne for only about 200 years.

History of the champagne bottle

A well-known fact is that real champagne is bottled strictly in the Champagne region in France from three varieties of raw materials specially approved for this purpose. It was there, at the end of the 17th century, that the monk Pierre Perignon first discovered that unripe wine, sealed in bottles, ripened directly in them. And when you open such a container, a peculiar pop is heard. The taste of such an unusual composition encouraged him to continue his experiments in the production and bottling of the sparkling drink.

He was the first to try to seal it in glass vessels for ripening, and also to transport champagne to the nearest provinces and neighboring countries. But the container he invented could not withstand the pressure, and many samples exploded along the way, causing huge losses.

The developer of the modern prototype of a bottle for sparkling wine at the end of the 18th century was Philippe Clicquot, the French founder of the Clicquot wine house. It was he who was able to bring to life an idea that brought his wife, after his death, worldwide fame and constant income. The bottle that Philip offered to the world was blown from thick glass with a compacted bottom and strong junctions between the walls and the bottom. It was there that the vulnerable part was located, which exploded at the first opportunity.

After Philippe's death, the widow Clicquot was able to establish mass production of champagne, which very quickly became popular in Europe, and in the mid-19th century - in Russia. It was she and her craftsmen who improved the ripening process by using the method of disgorgement - freeing sparkling wine in bottles from sediment. The French measure of bottle size at that time was called the “magnum” and was 0.75 liters. These were standard container volumes. The cork plugs were secured on it with twine - muzle.

In the domestic industry, at the beginning of the 20th century, locally produced champagne first appeared at the Abrau-Durso winery under the leadership of Prince Golitsyn, who was replaced by the Russian scientist A. Frolov-Bagreev after the Bolsheviks came to power. To bottle champagne, containers with a volume of 0.75 l and 1.5 l were used.

Sparkling wine bottle sizes

In France, in the province of Bordeaux, as well as in Burgundy and Champagne, there are special sizes and heights of containers for sparkling wines. The classification of the names of Bordeaux, as a rule, is used only within the region, but the terminology of Burgundy and Champagne is well known and is used on a global scale at wineries when bottling wines.

In Bordeaux the classification is as follows:

Bordeaux (Bordeaux) - 750 ml;
Magnum (Magnum) - 1.5 l;
Mari-Jeanne (Mary-Jane) - 2.25 l;
Double magnum (Double magnum) - 3 l;
Jeroboam (Zheroboam) - 4 l and 5 l;
Imperiale (Imperial) - 6 l.

The types of glassware in Champagne are divided into the following types, many of which are named after historical figures or figures from the Bible:

Picolo/Split (Picolo/Split) - 187.5 ml (1/4 standard - Magnum size);
Demi/Tenth (Demi/Tenz) - 375 ml (1/2 standard - Magnum size);
Bourgogne (Burgogne) - 750 ml;
Magnum (Magnum) - 1.5 l;
Jeroboam (Zheroboam) - 3 l and 5 l;
Rehoboam - 4.5 l;
Methuselah (Methuselah/Methuselah) - 6 l;
Salmanazar (Salmanazar) - 9 l;
Balthazar (Balthazar) - 12 l;
Nebuchadnezzar (Nebuchadnezzar) - 15 l;
Melchior (Cmelchior) - 18 l;
Solomon (Solomon) - 20 l;
Soverign (Suverin) - 25 l;
Primat (Prima) - 27 l;
Melchizedek (Melchizedek) - 30 l.

General characteristics of glass vessels

In addition to height and volume, parameters such as light transmittance are important for a bottle. All of them are made from darkened glass so that light does not spoil the wine, which undergoes secondary fermentation in these vessels. Considered to be large size glass vessel contributes well to the opening of the bouquet during the ripening process, since a large volume of wine contains a small amount of oxygen. Even in such a container, smaller and higher-quality bubbles are formed, which subsequently give a fine-pored foam and play for a long time in the glass.

A large bottle is practically not used by the average person, since in addition to the weight due to the contents, such a container has its own weight, which makes the structure heavier. These vessels are suitable as gifts and souvenirs, for special effect and chic at mass elite events, festivals, banquets. Small specimens, such as Picolo or Demi (1/4 and ½ standard capacity), are perfect as a present or a personal holiday drink for an independent person.

Large tall vessels are quite difficult to produce. Their production requires special equipment that can reproduce the standard shape of a champagne bottle, but with denser walls and a concave bottom. Strong glass is needed so that a large amount of pressure on the glass walls - about 6 atmospheres - does not damage the vessel.

In addition, a good standard volume container (750 ml) costs around 3 euros, and a cork cap for a bottle costs about 1 euro. One can imagine how much effort and financial expenditure is required to make copies of Solomon or Melchizedek. Not all wine companies can afford such pleasure, so you need to look for such specimens from famous brands.

Pressure in a champagne bottle at room temperature equal to the tire pressure of a red London bus, or approximately 6.3 kilograms per square centimeter.

Why rub glasses with a towel?

There are almost 49,000,000 bubbles in every bottle of champagne. In a glass they form around the smallest irregularities on the walls. Therefore, before serving champagne, glasses are rubbed with a cotton towel, leaving microscopic particles of cellulose on the walls.

Unwanted bubbles

Initially, bubbles in champagne were considered an undesirable side effect of fermentation, and only in the second half of the 17th century were they specifically sought after.

From the depths of the sea

The most expensive champagne in the world is Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck, which is over a hundred years old. The unique bottles were discovered by divers in 1997 on a sunken ship carrying wine for the royal family in Russia. A total of 200 bottles were found, each worth $275,000.

From small to large

The volume of champagne bottles varies from 200 ml to 30 liters. Bottles of three liters or more are named after biblical characters.

Enough for everyone

The largest mass-produced champagne bottle is called Midas and has a volume of 30 liters. It is equivalent to forty standard bottles. This champagne is produced by the Armand de Brignac house.

Full length

The world's tallest bottle of champagne, 1 m 82 cm high, was produced in 1965 by Piper-Heidsieck. The bottle was intended to celebrate actor Rex Harrison winning an Oscar for his role in the film My Fair Lady.

Who drinks champagne in the morning?

Especially for Winston Churchill, the Pol Roger company produced champagne in 0.6 liter (imperial pint) bottles. Champagne was served to Churchill by his butler at 11am when he woke up.

Widows of Champagne

The history of champagne is almost mystically connected with French widows. Among them are the legendary Josephine Clicquot, Madame Pomery, Camila Roederer, Madame Bollinger. These women had a huge influence on the technology and traditions of making champagne.

Rapid traffic jam

A cork from a champagne bottle flies out at a speed of about 40 km/h, and its flight height reaches 12 meters. The maximum possible speed for a champagne cork, 100 km/h, can occur if you leave the bottle in the sun for a while or shake it thoroughly.

Bridle for bottle

The wire bridle that holds the cork in place is called a muselet and is 52 cm long. According to legend, this was the length of the wire Josephine Clicquot removed from her bodice to cork a bottle of her brand of champagne.

From necessity to tradition

Initially, the foil around the champagne cork served as protection against mice and rats that lived in the cellars where the wine was stored. Later, the packaging element was preserved as a tribute to tradition.

More is not better

Centuries-old traditions

The oldest company currently producing champagne is Gosset, founded in 1584.

Birthday

August 4 is World Champagne Day. The French believe that it was on this day that the monk Dom Perignon invented the sparkling drink.