Wine bottles have a standard size of 750 milliliters, while other drinks are usually presented in a liter format. This figure has different explanations behind it, as collected by the Vivanco winery. One of them indicates that the old bottles made of glass could not have a larger size, due to the lung capacity of the blowers.
Another reason has to do with the measurements that were used centuries ago in Europe. The basic one was the imperial or British gallon, which equals about 4.5 litres. One sixth, 750 milliliters, was considered adequate for transporting bottles of wine. France and Great Britain adopted a common standard in colonial times, in which large volumes were exported in 225-litre barrels, a figure equivalent to 50 gallons and 300 bottles.
There is a theory that indicates that the aforementioned amount is the most convenient for winegrowers and for customers, since with a 750-milliliter bottle a total of six glasses can be served, with 125 milliliters per person. This rule may have originated in 18th century Napoleonic France, because it was considered to be the proper amount of wine “for a man to drink at dinner.” It is also said that this capacity is ideal for preserving the drink in the best conditions.
European legislation on packaging imposed in 1975 that wine could only be sold in certain measures. For the range between half a liter and one liter, the 750 milliliter format was established as the only one allowed. The United States adopted the same measure in its metric standard for liquid packaging in 1979.
Although the usual size of wine bottles is 750 milliliters, the oenologists consider that the 1.5-liter Magnum format “promotes slower and more harmonious aging due to the larger capacity of the container and a lower ratio between oxygen and liquid,” says Vivanco.
There are more than a dozen sizes of wine bottles, among which are some larger ones and with names of kings: Jeroboam (4.5 liters), Methuselah (6 liters), Salmanazar (9 liters), Baltasar (12 liters) , Nebuchadnezzar (15 liters), Melchor (18 liters) and Melchizedek (30 liters).
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