Different Sizes of Champagne Bottles

Question 1

What is a Mini-Bottle?

Answer 1

20cL
Piccolo or Quarter Bottle

Italian origin - means “small”

Equal to a size of quarter bottle

Great for gift hampers or an aperatif glass of bubbly

Question 2

What is a Half Bottle?

Answer 2

37.5cL

Demi-Bottle in French

“Fillette” which means little girl in French
Equivalent to 4 glasses of Champagne

Goodie bag for event gifting or celebration for 2

Question 3

What is a Standard Bottle?

Answer 3

75cL

Serves 6 glasses of champagne

Usually the same shape, but some brands use different shapes to differentiate their brand

Question 4

What is a Magnum?

Answer 4

1.5l

Means “great” in Latin

2 standard bottles or 12 glasses

Superior for ageing because ratio of air to liquid is lower than in smaller formats

Question 5

What is a Jeroboam?

Answer 5

3l

“He that supports the people” or Double Magnum

Named in early 1th century after Jeroboam, king of Israel

4 bottles (24 glasses)

Popular for big celebrations or weddings

Largest format (3l) where the secondary fermentation takes place in bottle. Champagne enthusiasts have long championed the merits of the jeroboam; the larger the format, the longer the fermentation, the greater the complexity.

Question 6

What is a Methuselah?

Answer 6

Named after Methuselah, the ancestor of Noah who is said to have lived to the age of 969

8 standard bottles (48 glasses)

Question 7

What is a Salmanazar?

Answer 7

9l

Named after Assyrian king Salmanazar III (858-824 BC), who is remembered as a great builder

12 bottles of Champagne or 72 glasses

Question 8

What is a Balthazar?

Answer 8

12l
Named after Batlhazar, one of the three wise men who presented a gift to Jesus.

12L a16 standard Champagne bottles.

Question 9

What is a Nebuchadnezzar?

Answer 9

15L

Named after Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest king of Babylon, which during his reign became the cultural centre of the western world.

Largest mainstream Champagne bottle available and is great for big meals or statements parties.

Question 10

What is a standard Champagne bottle size?

Answer 10

75cL

Question 11

How many glasses are in a Champagne bottle?

Answer 11

6 glasses

Question 12

How many Champagne bottle sizes are there?

Answer 12

9

These 9 are commercially available but there are 6 other sizes as well.

Question 13

What are Champagne bottle sizes named after?

Answer 13

The largest Champagne bottles are named after biblical kings and figures suggesting greatness

Question 14

What is the acronym for remembering the Champagne sizes?

Answer 14

1. Piccolo (20cL)
2. Half bottle (37.5 cL)
3. Standard Bottle (75cL
4. Magnum (1.5L)
5. Jeroboam (3L)
6. Methuselah (6L)
7. Salamanzar (9L)
8. Balthazar (12L)
9. Nebuchadnezzar (15L)
10. Solomon (18L)
11. Solomon (25L)
12. Goliath (27L)

Question 15

What is a Midas?

Answer 15

30L

Largest of all bottles
Greek god who had the ability to turn things to gold when he touched then

Question 16

What is a Solomon?

Answer 16

18L

King Solomon succeeded his father, King David of Israel. He was reportedly extremely wealthy and a very wise king. The Solomon bottle is relatively rare and is only produced by some of the original French Champagne producers.

Question 17

What is a Sovereign?

Answer 17

25L

The Sovereign champagne bottle was reportedly created by Taittinger in 1988. It was to celebrate the launch of the then-world’s largest cruise liner ‘Sovereign of the Seas‘.

Question 18

What is a Goliath?

Answer 18

27L

The Primat bottle has a capacity of 27 liters or 36 bottles. this bottle weighs around 65 kilograms (143 pounds) and stands 1 metre or 40 inches tall. “Primat” probably refers to the Latin word ‘prīmās‘, meaning ‘chief or noble’.