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If you stroll down the wine aisle of your local supermarket, you’ll see a variety of different bottle shapes and sizes.
You may be aware that Champagne doesn’t come in the same bottle as red wine, but what else do you know about the different wine bottle sizes?
Wine can come in a variety of bottle shapes and sizes for a variety of reasons - you can find small bottles that can offer just one small glass of wine and larger bottles that can contain over 10 glasses of wine.
If you’ve ever wondered about the different shapes and sizes of wine bottles, then you’re in the right place. Keep reading for our guide to different wine bottle sizes.
Different Bottle Shapes:
Wine bottles come in a variety of shapes, usually depending on the type of wine it contains. Read on to learn more about the different bottle shapes that wine can come in.
Bordeaux Bottle
If you’re a wine drinker, then you’ve almost definitely come across the standard Bordeaux bottle - it’s the most common type of wine bottle. As expected, Bordeaux bottles originated in the Bordeaux region of France.
The Bordeaux bottle is characterised by its classic shape and body - it’s cylindrical with relatively high shoulders and straight sides. The shoulders of a wine bottle are essentially the space in between the main body of the bottle and the neck of the bottle.
You can find a variety of wines that come in your classic Bordeaux bottle. However, the most popular style of wine you’d find in a Bordeaux bottle has to be Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. However, the majority of wines are sold in Bordeaux bottles.
Bordeaux bottles can be found in a variety of colours depending on the type of wine it contains. For example, red wines are usually bottled in dark green or dark brown tinted glass, as this colour offers UV protection.
However, white wines and rosé are usually bottled in clear glass Bordeaux bottles or light green glass, as lighter wines are best stored in a wine fridge and aren’t typically suitable for long-term wine storage or ageing.
Most wine coolers and wine cabinets are designed to store this type of bottle, although depending on the shelves, you should be able to store other bottles.
Champagne Bottle
Champagne bottles are easily recognisable - they look rather similar to Bordeaux bottles but are notably thicker.
The reason that they’re thicker is that Champagne bottles contain sparkling wine, and have to resist the high pressure. If the glass was much thinner, then it may not be able to deal with the pressure from the fizz and may smash.
Burgundy Bottle
If you’ve ever enjoyed a bottle of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Sauvignon Blanc, then you’ve most likely come across a Burgundy bottle. This type of bottle is similar to the Bordeaux but has smoother shoulders and a longer bottleneck. They also usually have a slightly larger body to make up for the longer neck.
Port Bottle
Port bottles are known for storing dessert wines and fortified wines such as Port, Madeira, and Sherry.
The bottle shape is similar to a Bordeaux bottle, with high shoulders. However, most Port bottles feature a noticeable bulb in the neck. This is due to the ageing process - the bulb is designed to catch any sediment as you pour the wine.
Alsace Bottle
Alsace bottles usually contain Riesling - German Riesling typically comes in green Alsace bottles, whereas French Riesling usually comes in brown bottles.
Alsace bottles are distinguishable by their tall and thin body. The bottleneck blends in perfectly with the rest of the bottle, making a streamlined shape.
Provence Bottle
Provence or Côtes de Provence wine bottles come from Côtes de Provence, which is a region known for producing delicious rosé.
You may find some rosé wines in Provence bottles - they are different to the other bottle shapes as they have a rounder bowling pin shape. The shape also somewhat resembles an hourglass, dipping slightly in the lower middle of the bottle.
Different Bottle Sizes:
You’re probably already aware that wine can come in a variety of different sized bottles, but how much do you know about the actual bottle sizes, names, and serving sizes?
One of the smallest bottles of wine is known as Split. Split bottles of wine have a capacity of 187.5ml, which equals the amount of a single glass of wine. They’re generally used for single classes of sparkling wine such as Champagne - and are also known as Piccolo bottles.
You can also find half bottles of wine, which, as expected, holds half the amount of a regular bottle. Half bottles of wine can hold 375ml of wine, which is the equivalent of two glasses. In France, half bottles of wine are known as Demi bottles.
Next up is your standard bottle of wine, which holds 750ml. This is the classic bottle of wine that most wines are stored in, and you can get around 5 glasses of wine in a standard bottle - depending, of course, on how much you fill your glass up!
If you’re after a larger bottle of wine, then look out for magnum bottles. Magnum bottles contain twice the amount of wine that a standard bottle contains - 1.5 litres and ten whole glasses.
There are bottles even larger than that - double magnum bottles. These can store three whole litres of wine, which is the equivalent of four standard bottles and twenty glasses of wine.
The next largest wine bottle is the Jeroboam, which holds six regular bottles and 30 glasses. The Imperial bottle stores eight standard bottles (or two double magnums) and 40 bottles.
The second-largest bottle of wine available on the market is the Balthazar, which can contain a whopping sixteen standard bottles of wine or two imperials - which is the same as 80 glasses.
The largest wine bottle available is the Nebuchadnezzar, which has a capacity of 15 litres. This is the equivalent of twenty standard bottles of wine, and 100 glasses. However, these are very rare and generally cost thousands of pounds. You won’t find a Nebuchadnezzar bottle in your local Tesco or Asda!
If you’re looking for a storage system that’s able to fit all bottle types, look no further than our Dunavox collection. Dunavox offers a wide array of cooling products, ideal for both collectors and avid wine drinkers.
Both the DX-194 and DX-181 models can take larger bottles, which is ideal if you enjoy drinking a plethora of different wine variants.
Dunavox is a leading brand, with a selection of freestanding and built-in wine coolers to choose from. Not only is Dunavox one of the most popular wine-cooling brands in the world, but they also manufacture their designs with some of the best, most reliable materials.