Glass bottles have allowed us to store and mature wine for hundreds of years. But, have you ever wondered the origin of these bottles?
Wine has been consumed long time agp before the appearance of bottles, even long before the appearance of glass. Previously, the wine was stored in barrels or in clay and mud amphorae. In the Roman and Greek civilizations, clay amphorae were the most widespread container for centuries since they were previously used in ancient Egypt and other civilizations prior to the Roman and Greek ones.
Throughout the 17th century, wine began to be a selected drink, consumed above all at celebrations and banquets. Therefore, another type of container, easier to handle in homes, was needed.
The bottles that were made at that time did not have the same shape as the bottles we know today. At that time, the bottles were rounder and the walls of the bottle were generally much thinner, since they were made with the technique of blown glass where there are several theories about the reason for the capacity of the standard 750ml bottles. .
One of the theories is that this was the lung capacity at which the blowers performed best. On the other hand, it is said that when the bottles began to be made, they decided that the bottle and the wine should not weigh more than 1 kilo for better transport, which meant that the bottle weighed approximately between two and three hundred grams and the capacity of the bottle came out between seven hundred and eight hundred milliliters.
The first industrially manufactured bottles were made in Bristol in 1821.
The size of the bottle is important for the conservation of the wine. For example, in a magnum the amount of wine is twice the standard, but the oxygen in the neck of the bottle is practically the same. This makes it more suitable for storage and conservation.
List of wine bottle sizes and their names:
• 187.5 ml – Quarter Bottle, Benjamin, Piccolo or Split: One quarter of a standard size bottle, approximately one glass of wine. The term Benjamin comes from a Biblical name.
• 375 ml – Demi or Half Bottle: Half of the standard 750 ml size. The term demi comes from French and means ‘half’.
• 750 ml – Standard: The most common and universal size.
• 1.5 L – Magnum: Equivalent to two standard 750 ml bottles. Its name comes from Latin and means ‘great’.
• 3 L – Double Magnum: Equivalent to two Magnums or four standard 750 ml bottles.
• 4.5 L – Rehoboam: Four and a half liters or six standard bottles.
• 6 L – Matusalem: Equivalent to eight standard 750 ml bottles or two Double Magnums.
• 9 L – Salmanazar: 9 liters or 12 bottles of 75 cl. It corresponds to the name of the Assyrian king who deported the tribes of Israel.
• 12 L – Baltasar: Equivalent to 16 standard 750 ml bottles, 2 Matusalem, 4 Double Magnum or 8 Magnum.
• 15 L – Nebuchadnezzar: Famous ruler of Babylon who gives his name to the 15 liter bottles, or the equivalent of 20 standard 750 ml bottles.
• 18 L – Melchior: Equivalent to 18 liters.
• 30 L – Melchizedek. King of Salem, this biblical character gives his name to the 30-liter bottles (40 standard), whose weight exceeds 50 kilos.
Other formats available in the online store. large formats
