To answer this question we will have to take a brief journey into the past.
Of course, there are several theories on this subject, but perhaps the one with the greatest agreement among experts is that the amount of wine in a bottle was defined by the English, since it was, at the time, who controlled the wine produced in Bordeaux.
As the wine was marketed in barrels of 225 liters, the easiest calculation to do was to put it in 750ml bottles, which would give the correct account of 300 bottles. Another important data to arrive at this result was the metric system used by the British, the gallon, which was equivalent to about 4.5 liters, giving rise to 6 bottles.
Ending our journey at the present day, the quantity of wine most used in a bottle continues to be 750ml, which we call a standard bottle, but they can diversify in terms of quantity almost as much as our imagination can foresee.
Let us look at some examples:
- One Quarter – 187.5ml bottle – is also known by the names Split, Pony or Picollo
- Half Bottle – 375ml bottle – also known as Half, Demi or Fillette
- Jennie – 500ml bottle
- Standard – 750ml bottle – is the most common model and the best selling one
- Magnum – 1.5L bottle – is a well-known model, equivalent to two 750ml bottles, especially used in restaurants and for special celebrations
- Double Magnum – 3lt bottle – the double magnum – also known as Jeroboam
- Imperial or Methuselah – 6lt bottle – equals 8 standard 750ml bottles
- Salmanasar – 9lt bottle – equals 12 bottles of 750ml
The wine in a bottle, as we can see above, varies a lot, with some formats being more common than others.
Choose your best moments to taste the precious liquor of the Gods, in whatever format.
A toast!