You regularly hear both men and women say; “The size doesn't matter.” In case a man makes this statement, he probably has a small version himself, women often express themselves this way when they are actually disappointed about the size but want to bravely disguise this. I am of course talking about the dimensions of wine bottles. Many of you are probably familiar with the “half bottles” that are on the sales shelf of the supermarket or liquor store or the mini ones that you get on the plane, and of course the “normal” size. However, the range of formats extends much further. After reading this article you will know everything about it...
We start with the “Quart”. This bottle has a capacity of 18.7cl. Most of you are familiar with it from the minibar in the hotel room and the catering on the plane. Usually you pay cross-eyed for this crappy format and personally I almost always get the feeling that I have been voluntarily dropped, but hey, if there is no other option then so be it.
Next comes the “Piccolo” of 20cl. You often see this size when it contains bubbles. That's that little bottle that the ladies order when you accidentally end up in the wrong place while looking for nighttime entertainment. Did you know that, although the label suggests otherwise, in these types of entertainment venues there is (mostly) no alcohol in these bubbles at all? Yes, yes, that may surprise you, but on the other hand it is of course very logical because if those ladies knock away 20 of those bellhops at work every day, they obviously cannot do their work properly. And then taking in account that we only pay $175.- for that delicious “Champagne”…!
Then we get the “Demi”. The content of this bottle is 37.5cl., so actually half of what we consider a “normal” bottle. Personally, I think this is a great size. Especially if your choice of wine is different from that of your table companions. Everyone can enjoy a drink according to their own preference and there is therefore no "obligation" to drink a wine that you don't really feel like drinking. Also ideal for people who are alone in a restaurant and think a whole bottle of wine is too much of a good thing. The “Standard” or as the French say “Bouteille” is the name of the 75cl. bottle that we consider normal. This causes the most clinking at the bottle banks on Monday morning.
From now on things get a bit more serious...
First in the line of large formats we have the “Magnum”. This has a capacity of no less than 1.5 liters, which is twice as much as a normal bottle. We sometimes come across the Magnum at a party or reception when the gift giver wants to impress the birthday boy or girl. Nice size, especially for drinking away with friends while having a good conversation (in combination with tasty tapas). This is followed by the “Jeroboam”, named after the first sovereign prince of the kingdom of Israel from 930-910 BC who had himself crowned king after the death of Solomon. This boy houses no less than 3 liters of wine. But of course it can always be bigger because after this Jeroboam comes “Rehoboam”. Rehoboam was the king of Judea in the period from 930-915 BC and also the son of Solomon. He ruled as a tyrant and that ultimately resulted in a division of Israel. The size of this friendly boy; 4.5 liters.
And it can be even bigger...
“Methusalem” is the name of the bottle that follows. It has a capacity of 6 liters. According to the Bible (Genesis 5:27), Methuselah lived to be 969 years old. His relatives also reached astronomical ages: his father lived to be 365 years old and his son is said to have lived for 777 years. It just goes to show what drinking a 6 liter bottle every now and then can lead to! Then we get “Salmanazar”, in addition to being a common name for Assyrian kings, it is also the name for a wine bottle with a capacity of 9 whole liters.
Are you still there? Well, prepare yourself for the 12 liter “Balthazar”, which is 16 normal wine bottles! Balthazar ruled Babylon until his life was taken by Cyrus in 539 BC. Also the name of one of the 3 kings who come to visit us at “Reyes Magos” every year on January 6th. The next name is a bit more complicated to pronounce, especially after consuming the contents of the 15 liter bottle. Just try saying it quickly;
“Nabuchodonosor”.
This name belonged to a very feared king who ruled Babylon from 605-562 BC. But are you really a “party animal” and do you want to go all out? Then I can wholeheartedly recommend the “Melchior” (also one of the 3 kings). With its 18 liters of divine drink, it may be the centerpiece of your party!
In addition to “bottle knowledge”, I hope to have also taught you a bit of history...Salud!
Roel Peters RP-Vinos USA
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