It may have come to your attention that besides the conventional 0.75L wine bottle there are other – all impressive – bottles of larger sizes.
For an unambiguous reason, and in fact not substantiated, the name of the size of the wine bottles bears names of biblical kings. Theoretically, it is said that this choice defines a parallelism of the size of the bottles with the symbolic size of these persons.
So the wine bottles nomenclature reconnects us with structures of history often accompanied by wine.
Wine is a living part of the history of humanity and of our daily life, and thus it should not cause us great impression that the names of the bottles are associated with the Bible.
The sizes of bottles we encounter are:
0.75L: conventional bottle
1.5L Magnum: equals two 0.75L bottles
3.0L Double Magnum: equals four 0.75L bottles
4.5L Jeroboam: equals six 0.75L bottles
6.0L Imperial: equals eight bottles of 0.75L
9.0L Salmanazar: equals twelve bottles of 0.75L
12.0L Balthazar: equals sixteen bottles of 0.75L
15.0L Nebuchadnezzar: equals twenty bottles of 0.75L
As impressive as the bottle sizes of the bottles might be, they are not considered to be practical for a consumer, perhaps even for a collector. The are many reasons, the cost, the storage, and the occasion – in what circumstances can a bottle of fifteen liters be enjoyed? In fact, after the conventional bottle size, the Magnum flask is the most widely used option.
But why would anyone prefer one Magnum bottle instead of a conventional one?
The answer is related to the aging conditions and natural evolution of the wine in the bottle. A prominent role is played by oxygen, which in a Magnum bottle is smaller in proportion to the amount of wine. In short, the minimum amount of oxygen that penetrates the cork and enters the bottle after bottling has to cope with twice the amount of wine, so development will be delayed compared to a conventional bottle. Perhaps this is the reason why many producers around the world choose to bottle in Magnum bottles their red wines or, if you like, their biggest wines.
In a wine world where the size matters, a wine that counts 35 years of life should have its place . Strofilia Estate bottled the classic red Strofilia as the Anniversary Classic 35.
Classic 35 is a blend of Syrah and Agiorgitikou varieties. It has a deep red color and a strong aromatic character. Spices and flavors of red ripe fruit, such as cherries, raspberries and plums, in harmony with the aromas of wood and coffee. It has rich, full flavor, with balanced tannins, and long aftertaste. It is long aging and rumors say that in a Magnum bottle it will do better than in a conventional one.
Giovanna Lykou
