SIZE MATTERS
Champagnes vary in many ways – whether rosé or Blanc de Blanc Champagne, whether brown or green glass bottles, whether bulbous or narrower shape. The taste can be influenced by a number of factors, including the size of the champagne bottle. For some, a particularly large champagne bottle may simply be impressive at first glance, but then it will turn out that the functionality of the bottle size is all the more fascinating.
The bottle size of a champagne is of fundamental importance in terms of the ageing and maturing process and is decisive for durability and quality. It is also certain – the bigger the champagne bottle, the more extravagant the name.
What is the best Champagne bottle size?
The size of the bottle actually has an influence on the taste quality of the champagne. For example, the same cuvée usually tastes more harmonious from a magnum bottle than from a 0.75 litre bottle (imperial size).
Even larger formats, on the other hand, no longer offer any advantage, as they are often not fermented in the same bottle. With magnum bottles, fermentation always takes place in the same bottle.
Which champagne bottle is the largest?
The largest bottles are the Primat with a capacity of 27 litres and the Melchizedek with 30 litres. However, the production of the larger bottles is very complex and very expensive. For this reason, these shapes rarely appear on the market.
PICCOLO/QUART
The piccolo (also called quarter) is the smallest champagne bottle with a capacity of 200/250 ml and is ideal for filling two glasses. However, it should be consumed quickly – due to its size and it matures the fastest.
DEMI
The demi (Latin for half) is half the size of the normal bottle. Champagne from a demi bottle can be used especially for small occasions for two.
BOUTEILLE
The classic champagne bottle size is the ¾ litre bouteille and is also usually the one that ends up on the table at parties. A bouteille fills about 5-7 champagne glasses.
MAGNUM
A Champagne magnum bottle (Latin for ‘the big one’) can hold 1.5 litres of Champagne. It is said that the volume of this bottle is optimal ort he balance between oxygen and liquid and more harmonious than smaller bottlings.
JEROBOAM
The 3 litre champagne bottle is named after the Israelite king Jeroboam, who is considered the founder ft he Kingdom of Israel.
REHOBOAM
With a capacity of 4.5 litres, the Rehoboam bottle has 6x the volume ft he classic bottle size of champagne. Rehoboam ft he name ft he first king ft he kingdom of Judah and appears in the Bible.
METHUSELAH
This size of the champagne bottle was named after a figure in the Old Testament. The champagne bottle has a capacity of 6 litres.
SALMANAZAR
The champagne bottle with a capacity of 9 litres is a tribute to the Assyrian king from whom the name Salmanazar is derived.
BALTHAZAR
The impulse for the name of the 12 litre champagne bottle came from the name of the Babylonian king. Champagne bottles of this size have a longer shelf life and can be stored for a long time in the wine cellar.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR
At 15 litres, Nebuchadnezzar is the equivalent of 12 regular-sized champagnes. It is named after a biblical king of the Babylonian Empire.
SOLOMON
Named after a king of Israel and the son of David, Solomon is rather rare and has a capacity of 18 litres (24 standard champagnes).
SOUVERAIN
An English gold coin and a Grand Chamberlain at the French royal court are the reason for the name of the 26.25 litre bottle. It was invented by the Taittinger champagne house.
PRIMAT
The Primat is a champagne bottle size that holds 27 litres of liquid. It weighs a solid 65 kilograms and is about 1 metre tall.
MELCHISEDEK
For a 30 litre champagne bottle, it already takes several hands to fill a glass with champagne. One Melchizedek has the volume of 40 normal bottles and serves for about 240 champagne glasses.
OUR MAGNUM CHAMPAGNE-RECOMMENDATIONS
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Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut Magnum 1.5LFrom: €99,00Includes 19% VAT(€66,00 / 1 L)plus shipping
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Billecart-Salmon Rosé Brut Magnum 1,5LFrom: €167,50Includes 19% VAT(€111,67 / 1 L)plus shipping
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Bruno Paillard Rosé Première Cuvée Magnum 1,5lFrom: €175,00Includes 19% VAT(€116,67 / 1 L)plus shipping
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Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée Magnum 1.5L€134,00Includes 19% VAT(€89,33 / 1 L)plus shipping