Split / Piccolo
187.5ml — ¼ bottle
The airline mini and picnic hero. Holds 187.5ml — a quarter of a standard bottle — and pours about one proper glass. Named piccolo, Italian for “small.” Perfect for a solo toast, a tasting flight pour, or a gift-bag treat.
🍷 Fun pour: 1 glass — one perfect pour, no leftovers, no sharing required.
Demi / Half Bottle
375ml — ½ bottle
Exactly half a standard bottle, pouring 2–3 glasses. The date-night specialist: enough for two generous glasses with dinner and zero temptation to open a full bottle on a Tuesday. Great for pricier wines you want to try without the commitment.
🍷 Fun pour: 2–3 glasses — the “just us” bottle.
Jennie / Half Litre
500ml — ⅔ bottle
The in-betweener that deserves more love. At 500ml it pours 3–4 glasses — ideal for one person over a long dinner or two people who pace themselves. Popular in parts of Europe for everyday table wine.
🍷 Fun pour: 3–4 glasses — the weeknight sweet spot.
Standard Bottle
750ml — 1 bottle
The one and only benchmark: 750ml, pouring 5–6 glasses. Every other size on this page is measured against it. Born of old glassmaking tradition, now the global default for still wine everywhere.
🍷 Fun pour: 5–6 glasses — the reliable classic.
Litre Bottle
1 litre — 1⅓ bottles
750ml’s slightly showier sibling. A full litre pours 7–8 glasses — that’s one bonus round for the table. Common in Germany and Austria, where a little extra Gemütlichkeit never hurt anyone.
🍷 Fun pour: 7–8 glasses — one extra round, on the house.
Magnum
1.5L — 2 bottles
Double the wine, double the drama. The Magnum pours 10–12 glasses and — here’s the nerdy bit — the same cork lets in the same whisper of oxygen as a standard bottle, so the wine ages more slowly and gracefully. The sommelier’s favorite format.
🍷 Fun pour: 10–12 glasses — the dinner-party hero.
Double Magnum / Jeroboam
3L — 4 bottles
Four bottles in one glorious vessel, pouring 20–24 glasses. In the world of still wine, “Jeroboam” and “Double Magnum” mean the same 3-litre bottle. Big enough to make an entrance, small enough that one strong person can still pour it.
🍷 Fun pour: 20–24 glasses — instant celebration.
Jeroboam — the Champagne Plot Twist
4.5L — 6 bottles (sparkling)
A Jeroboam is not always the same size. In the world of still wine, a Jeroboam is 3 litres exactly the same bottle as a Double Magnum. But in Champagne, it is 4.5 litres (what still wine folks would call a Rehoboam). So if someone offers you a Jeroboam, ask the follow up question: still or sparkling? Your pour 20 glasses or 36 depends on the answer.
🍷 Fun pour: 30–36 flutes — same name, supersized.
Rehoboam
4.5L — 6 bottles
The still-wine twin of the Champagne Jeroboam: 4.5 litres, six standard bottles, 30–36 glasses. Named for Rehoboam, the biblical king of Judah. Made for weddings, milestone birthdays, and any party where “one bottle” sounds like a joke.
🍷 Fun pour: 30–36 glasses — wedding-reception royalty.
Methuselah / Imperial
6L — 8 bottles
Eight bottles strong, pouring 40–48 glasses. In Champagne it’s called Methuselah; in Bordeaux, Imperial — same 6-litre giant. Named for the biblical Methuselah, famous for living 969 years, which feels about right for how long the toast will last.
🍷 Fun pour: 40–48 glasses — the grand entrance.
Salmanazar
9L — 12 bottles
A full case of wine in a single bottle: 9 litres pouring 60–72 glasses. Named for the Assyrian king Shalmaneser (Salmanazar in French), and traditionally grouped with the “wise men” names. The centerpiece your gala didn’t know it needed.
🍷 Fun pour: 60–72 glasses — a case of wine, one cork.
Balthazar
12L — 16 bottles
Sixteen bottles, 80–96 glasses, one unforgettable bottle. Balthazar — traditionally named as one of the Three Wise Men — is pure ceremony. Moving it requires planning; opening it requires an audience.
🍷 Fun pour: 80–96 glasses — gala-night legend status.
Nebuchadnezzar
15L — 20 bottles
Twenty bottles. One hundred to 120 glasses. Named for Nebuchadnezzar II, builder of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon — fitting, since serving from one of these is an engineering feat of its own. The undisputed heavyweight champion of the wine world.
🍷 Fun pour: 100–120 glasses — bring friends. And a sturdy table.
Melchior
18L — 24 bottles
Two full cases in glass: 18 litres pouring 120–144 glasses. Melchior — another of the traditional wise-men names — is so rare you’re more likely to see one in a museum than a restaurant. If you spot one, take a photo.
🍷 Fun pour: 120–144 glasses — 24 bottles deep, zero subtlety.
Solomon
20L — 26⅔ bottles
Twenty litres of prestige, pouring 133–160 glasses — the equivalent of more than two cases. Named for King Solomon, famed for his wisdom (and his very large banquets, presumably). Released mostly as limited Champagne showpieces.
🍷 Fun pour: 133–160 glasses — auction-house showpiece energy.
Sovereign
25L — 33⅓ bottles
Twenty-five litres — over 33 standard bottles — pouring 166–200 glasses. The name says it all. Reserved for the grandest receptions and collector auctions in Bordeaux and Burgundy.
🍷 Fun pour: 166–200 glasses — pure spectacle.
Primat / Goliath
27L — 36 bottles
Thirty-six bottles. Up to 216 glasses. Three full cases in a single bottle that stands about a metre tall. Called Primat — or Goliath, which honestly feels more accurate. A monumental toast, literally.
🍷 Fun pour: 180–216 glasses — needs its own zip code.
Melchizedek / Midas
30L — 40 bottles
The king of kings: 30 litres, 40 standard bottles, 200–240 glasses. Named for Melchizedek, the biblical king-priest of Genesis (Champagne houses often call their 30L release the Midas instead). It weighs as much as a person. Bow before it.
🍷 Fun pour: 200–240 glasses — the 40-bottle mic drop.
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