Wine bottles are so taken for granted that we rarely give much thought to their history or design. All of which is rather odd because wine bottles as we know them have only been in regular use since the 17th century. Prior to that time, wines were stored in vats or barrels and then sold and served in ceramic or metal pots or jugs, many of which resembled cooking pots far more than they did the kinds of bottles we know today. In some cases, well into the 18th century, wines continued to be stored and sold in containers made from the skins of animals.

Wines stored that way even in the best of conditions did not last very long but, with the introduction, in the 18th century when wineries learned how to use cork to seal wine bottles, a whole new range of possibilities opened up. Wines, finally, could be made in such a way that they could last and mature over a period of many years. By the 1850s, wine bottles had become such a world standard that wines were being sold in bottles considered traditional for different regions. As can be seen today, for example, the wines of Bordeaux come in bottles with square shoulders, those containing Burgundy wine have sloping shoulders, and those containing the wines of Alsace and parts of Germany are especially tall with gently sloping sides and no shoulders whatever.

In addition to their different shapes, wine bottles also come in a variety of sizes. Most people have become accustomed to wines that come in "standard bottles" that contain 750 ml. Even though uch bottles have been accepted for generations as the most convenient size for two, when they were originally designed in the early 18th century, they were considered an ideal portion for one person. The truth is, however, that there are times when such standard bottles are far from ideal, even for two. There are times, for example, when a couple wants only a glass or two of wine with their meal. There are also those occasions when a person dining alone wants wine but hesitates to order a bottle in a restaurant because he knows that most of the wine he has paid for will go to waste. Even at home, we have learned that even if we recork a half-used bottle (even using vacuum sealing tools) it will rarely be as good the next day and there is a good chance that it will have gone bad two, three or four days later. And, as we become more sophisticated about wine, there are many times when we would like to have two or more different wines with our meals but hesitate to order or open two bottles, also knowing that we will be unable to finish an entire bottle of each of the wines we are drinking.

The French discovered the solution to these problems in 1885 and the Americans followed suit in 1901 when they started to make bottles that held 375 ml. of wine and were thus were well suited to those who felt that a standard or full bottle was simply too much for them.

That half-bottles are convenient is undeniable, but they do have a limitation and this should not be ignored. Because wines age better and their life-span is increased when they are stored in larger bottles, one should not purchase half-bottles of wines that are going to be stored for a prolonged period of time. The simple truth is that with the exception of wines that are meant to be consumed fairly young, the ultimate life expectancy of any wine increases in direct proportion to the size of the bottle in which it is stored. When buying French wines that one wants to store for many years, for example, many knowledgeable drinkers prefer to buy at least some of their wines in "magnum" sized botles, bottles that hold the equivalent of two regular bottles. In fact, in addition to the half bottle, whole bottle and magum, wines also come in bottles named "Marie-Jeane", "Double-Magnum", "Jeroboam" and "Imperiale", that have capacities, respectively for 3, 4, 6 and 8 regular bottles. Because bottles larger than the magnum are hard to handle, it is rare to find them except in the cellars of well known Chateaux who bottle them for their own private use. Those building wine cellars should keep in mind, especially when buying fine French wines that it is considered good logic that for every four regular bottles one stocks, one should also purchase one magnum, the magnum invariably to be drunk last as it will last the longest and age the best.

The range of bottles that hold Champagne is even broader, with a total of ten different sizes. Even smaller than the half bottle is the "split" or quarter bottle, generally intended for a single drinker. Larger than the regular bottle and the magnum (and keep in mind that the standard champagne bottle holds about 3 cl. more than other wine bottles) are a series of bottles, all named after Biblical Kings. The "Jeroboam" holds 4 bottles; the "Reboboam" holds 6; the "Methuselah", 8; the "Salmanazar",12; the "Balthazar", 16; and the "Nebuchadnezzar" holds 20 standard bottles of champagne. Anyone who has ever seen a Nebuchadnezzar knows that it takes at least three strong and completely sober people to pour from such bottles.

The New Wave in Bottles

As it to demonstrate the validity of the title of Simone Signoret's autobiography "Nostalgia Isn't What It Used To Be", recent years have seen two major changes in international wine bottling practices. The first change, originating in California (was Modavi the first?) and now becoming popular in places as diverse in character as the Pays d'Oc, Israel, Lebanon, and Modava, was in providing broad flanted, capsule free bottles. It is true that lead capsules are not good for our health and have their use has been eliminated world-wide. This was not, however the reason for the change. Simply stated, the change came about because it was thought that capsule free bottles would be more attractive and thus, in turn, sell more wine. The second change, also more for economic than aesthetic reasons, has been an increasingly large number of wineries to offer their wines in those tall, narrow, long necked bottles one considered traditional for bottling Italian grappa.

Personally, these new bottles do not offend me. In fact, they rather amuse me and only when I see the wines of Petrus, d'Yqueum or Puligny Montrachet in such bottles will I begin to worry.

© Daniel Rogov