If you are looking for information on wine bottle dimensions, then this article might help you in that matter. Here you will find a list of the standard wine bottle sizes, that are available in the market.
Wine as a drink has been produced for thousands of years and so have the specially designed wine bottles, that have a characteristic dimple at the bottom. Wine is stored in glass bottles traditionally and it ages within the confines of these sealed bottles, that protect them from contamination and ensure that they age to provide a rich taste. Some forms of wine are even fermented in bottles.
If you are planning to bring out your own brand of wine and are a new owner of a vineyard, then you have just begun your study of the art of wine making. There are many things you will have to learn. One of the last, yet important things to consider would be the bottle dimensions. The bottles are an essential part of wine storage and presentation when it comes to selling them. When it comes to wine, it is all about tradition. If you are designing racks for your wine cellar, you will need to know the bottle dimensions and their holding volume. There are standard dimensions of wine bottle that you need to know. I present a list of the standard wine bottle sizes, along with the holding volume of each, which should give you an idea about its dimensions. I only provide the volume specifications for various wine bottles here, along with the dimensional specifications of a few. The color and shape of the bottle varies, according to wine variety and manufacturer.
Glass is a preferred material for wine bottle storage due to its inert nature. Wine bottles are traditionally molded in some typical shapes and sizes. Here are the standard volume dimensions of wine bottles produced world over. The description provided below includes the wine bottle height as well as diameter of some bottles, which are useful parameters to consider while designing your wine racks. The dimensions for large bottles (capacity exceeding double magnum) are not presented here as they are not available at most wine shops and they vary a lot. The wine bottle sizes (named after biblical Kings mostly) are arranged in a descending order of holding capacity.
| Wine Size Designation | Volume (In liters) |
Standard Bottle Volume Equivalence |
Wines Available in this Size |
| Piccolo / Split | 0.1875 | 0.25 | Champagne |
| Chopine | 0.25 | 0.33 | Bordeaux |
| Demi / Half Bottle | 0.375 | 0.5 | Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy |
| Tenth | 0.378 | 0.505 | – |
| Jennie | 0.5 | 0.67 | – |
| Clavelin | 0.62 | 0.83 | – |
| Standard | 0.75 | 1 | Champagne, |
| Fifth | 0.757 | 1.01 | – |
| Magnum | 1.5 | 2 | Champagne, |
| Marie, Jeanne | 2.25 | 3 | Bordeaux |
| Rehoboam | 4.5 | 6 | Champagne, Burgundy |
| Methuselah | 6 | 8 | Champagne, Burgundy |
| Imperial | 6 | 8 | Bordeaux |
| Salmanazar | 9 | 12 | Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, |
| Mordechai | 9 | 12 | Champagne, Burgundy |
| Nebuchadnezzar | 15 | 20 | Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, |
| Melchior | 18 | 24 | Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, |
| Solomon | 20 | 26.66 | Champagne |
| Balthazar | 20 | 16 | Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, |
| Sovereign | 25 | 33.33 | Champagne |
| Goliath/Primat | 27 | 36 | Champagne |
| Melchizedek | 30 | 40 | Champagne |
| Jeroboam / DoubleMagnum | 3 / 4.5 | 4 / 6 | Champagne, Burgundy / Bordeaux |
Double Magnum
A double magnum has a capacity of four and a half liters of wine, which is equivalent to six standard bottles of wine. It stands about 19 ½ inches tall and is generally about 5 inches in diameter.
Jeroboam
A Jeroboam bottle holds three liters of wine, which is equivalent to four standard bottles. Its length and width is slightly more than a standard magnum bottle.
Magnum
Standing about 14 inches tall and around 4 inches in width, the magnum holds double the amount of wine contained in a standard bottle. The dimensions and shape may vary a bit according to various brands. Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux wines come in different shaped magnum bottles.
Standard Bottle
A standard bottle of wine contains about 750 ml of wine and stands about 11 ½ to 12 inches high. It is naturally the most widely sold size of a wine bottle.
Split
Split is the smallest of all the wine bottles that hold about a quarter of the amount of wine contained in a standard bottle, which is about 187.5 ml. They stand about 7 ½ inches tall and are 2 1/2 inches wide.
There are higher capacity bottles that can hold more wine than a Double Magnum, like Methuselah (6 liters, 22 inches tall), Salmanazar (9 liters, 2 feet tall), Balthazar (20 liters, 28 inch tall), Nebuchadnezzar (15 liters, 31 inch tall), Melchior (18 liters), Solomon (20 liters), Sovereign (25 liters), Primat (27 liters) and Melchizedek (30 liters).
A knowledge of bottle dimensions will help you in designing your right sized wine cellar racks to order. The mere idea of having 30 liters of wine stored in a Melchizedek bottle, has made me thirsty already. When it comes to buying wine, size does matter. Choose one which matches your drinking capacity.