The different types of wine bottles: from the smallest to the largest, including the half-bottle

Where does she come from?

Even though VINAdemi focuses its activity on the one and only 37.5cl half-bottle , it is interesting to note that the bottle presentation is multiple and varied. We will try to paint a portrait of it for you.

The word " bottle " has its roots in the Latin word " buticula " meaning small amphora. In the first sense of the term, the bottle is a container that can contain a liquid . Glassmaking techniques having been imported from Italy to Gaul, it was on the shores of the Mediterranean that the first glass bottles appeared at the beginning of our era. However, it is customary to say that it was only from the 8th century that the glass bottle truly became the reference container for preserving wine.

In the "Featherweight" category: wine bottles weighing less than one liter

• The Eighth (9.4 cl)

Although it is only used in Champagne and is very difficult to find, the Huitième can be considered the smallest bottle size of wine to date . Barely more than a sip….

• The Quarter (20 cl)

Designed to contain, as its name suggests, a quarter of a bottle, either 18.7cl or 20cl depending on the vineyard, the quarter is also called Piccolo or Quart Aviation because of its common use in airline catering services.

• The Chopine (25 cl)

Today, the Chopine is a format that is rarely offered on the market.

• The Half-bottle also called Fillette in the Loire Valley (37.5 cl)

Beyond the fact that it has the ideal measurements and that VINAdemi has made it its muse, the half-bottle represents exactly half of a bottle. This type of bottle has been making a comeback in recent years, particularly in restaurants but also in households. Consumers are now won over because the half-bottle allows them to discover at a lower cost, to consume responsibly and thus to multiply the pleasures .

• The Pot or Lyon Pot (46cl)

The Pot is a specific bottle with a very thick bottom and offered in traditional Lyonnais corks. Appearing in the 19th century, the 50cl wine pot was paid to the Canuts by the bosses. They unilaterally decided to lower the capacity of the Pot to 46cl so that one liter of wine could fill two pots but also the boss's extra glass.

• The Bottle (75cl)

This capacity became the standard during the 19th century. How did this capacity of 75cl become the reference when it would have been so simple to consider a round liter? Several hypotheses circulate and persist. Could it be the lung capacity of a glassblower? Could it be the average consumption during a meal at that time? Can we consider that this volume really improves the conservation of wine or facilitates its transport?

In fact, none of these hypotheses are correct and the answer is historical.

We owe this bottle format to our trade at the time with our friends across the Channel. Indeed, the English were then the main customers of French winegrowers. The only problem was the difference in measurement system, but this problem was major and it seemed necessary to resolve it to facilitate trade. Our British neighbors spoke in " imperial gallons " (4.54609 liters) and the conversion of our 225-liter barrels into 300 75cl bottles (instead of 225 one-liter bottles) was the easy solution to develop exports.

For the record, 75cl bottles only contained 73cl of wine for a long time because the cork caused it to overflow and lose 2cl when it was introduced. In the 70s, the legislator wanted to correct this irregularity by requiring glassmakers to increase the actual capacity to 77cl so that the bottle actually contained 75cl once the cork was in place.

In the "Medium Weight" category: wine bottles from one and a half to ten liters

• The Magnum (1.5 liters)

Although it is the smallest of the large bottles , the Magnum takes its name from the Latin meaning "large". It contains exactly two bottles and symbolizes celebration and abundance. In the past, only the most experienced glassmakers could produce them. Nowadays, specific machines allow its mass production.

• The Jeroboam (3 liters)

It is named after the two rulers Jeroboam ^I and Jeroboam II who ruled Israel in the first millennium BC.

• Rehoboam (4.5 liters)

This container takes its name from Rehoboam, king of Judah and son of King Solomon.

• The Methuselah (6 liters)

According to the Book of Genesis, Methuselah was the last Jewish patriarch to survive the Flood. He is said to have lived 969 years and is a symbol of longevity. He is the origin of the expression "old as Methuselah" and therefore also the name of this beautiful bottle size.

• The Salmanazar (9 liters)

Shalmaneser is the name borne five times by the kings of Israel. The best known of them was Shalmaneser III, a great conqueror.

In the "Heavy Goods" category: giant wine bottles of more than ten liters

• The Balthazar (12 liters)

This fabulous container refers to the Three Wise Men, representing Africa and accompanying Caspar and Melchior, who came to pay homage to Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem.

• The Nebuchadnezzar (15 liters)

Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest king of Babylon and multiplied his conquests, notably in Egypt, Israel and Palestine. He is also at the origin of one of the seven wonders of the world: the gardens of Babylon.

• The Salomon (18 liters)

Also called Melchior in reference to the Magi, Solomon was the son of David and was ruler of Israel. Solomon is particularly recognized for his wisdom and wealth.

• The Sovereign (26.25 liters)

Bottle exclusively offered in Champagne and created by Taittinger.

• The Primat (27 liters)

Bottle produced by the Champagne house Drappier and which owes its name to the Latin Primat meaning “of the first order”.

• The Melchizedek (30 liters)

Bottle also offered exclusively by the Drappier house since 2002. Melchizedek (also called Midas) has its origins in Melchizedek, a biblical character who was a priest but also king of Salem.

Finally, the "Out of Category"

• Adelaide (93 litres)

Huge bottle containing 124 bottles of champagne !

• The Sublime (150 liters)

This Sublime bottle contains 200 bottles of champagne and is the largest bottle of Champagne to date .

• Maximus (570 liters)

Finally, the absolute record goes to this Maximus with a name evoking the greatest exploits and containing the trifle of 760 bottles of wine. This extraordinary bottle is blown in the old-fashioned way and produced in several stages to end up with what is today the largest bottle in history . Obviously, it is difficult to remember all these names and all these capacities. To help you, we are going to give you a little mnemonic device that can help you remember the essential containers offered in stores and in the right order.

All you have to do is remember the phrase " Debout Mag: manage my room for the nases' ball! " which means, in order:

1. Half bottle

2. Bottle

3. Mag num

4. Jehoboam

5. Re hoboam

6. Ma thusalem

7. Salt manazar

8. Bal thazar

9. The Buchodonosor

10. Solomon

Find all our half-bottles of wine

The half bottle of wine is a practical and trendy format, ideal for discovering a domain without having to open a whole bottle.