A Quick Guide to Wine Bottle Sizes and Names

You've seen them, those extra-large, giant or even enormous bottles of wine or champagne. But do you know the names for these different wine bottle sizes and, more importantly, what size might you get for your own party or event?

When choosing a bottle size, one must first distinguish between wine and Champagne (or sparkling wine) as the bottle names and sizes can differ. (Note: technically speaking, only sparkling wine from the Champagne region in France is called "Champagne." I am using the term in the more general context of meaning the "bubbly stuff.")

A standard glass-pour of wine is approximately 5 ounces so the standard bottle yields about 5 glasses. With Champagne there are typically 6 glasses (flutes) per bottle.

The two charts below cover most of the bottle sizes and names for wine and Champagne. I have included the number of glasses per bottle to make it easier to plan for your guests.

As you can see, most of these large bottle formats are named after biblical kings and, just to make it confusing, some of the names depend on the region that the wine is from. This is bound to happen when you are dealing with a subject matter with as much history as wine. Here are a few more interesting wine facts:

1. The color of the glass bottle indicates the type of wine:

• Dark green contains red wines such as Burgundy and red Bordeaux.
• Light green indicates a dry white wine.
• Clear or amber is used for sweet white wines.
• Champagne is bottled in green or clear (usually rosé.)

2. The shape of the bottle is also an indication of the wine variety. For example, Bordeaux bottles always have shoulders where as Burgundy bottles do not. (Tip: Think of Brigitte Bardot's shoulders to help you remember.)

3.) The preferred use of cork to seal the bottle is purely based on tradition. There is no evidence that the wine is better off with a cork as opposed to a screw cap.

4.) It takes 2.5 pounds of grapes to make one bottle of wine.

5.) There are over 10,000 varieties of wine.

6.) There are 12 bottles of wine in a case.

7.) Wine making dates back to 6000 B.C.

8.) White wines should be served around 45ºF (7°C.) For red wine, the optimal serving temperature is between 50 and 60°F (10-15°C.)

9.) Wine should not be drunk from cut glass. Choose only smooth, clear, wine glasses.

10.) The base of a wine glass is called a "foot."