Wine Basics
Wine Investing
Apr 24, 2025
Guide to Wine Bottle Sizes: Splits to Nebuchadnezzars (2024)
As a wine investor or enthusiast, you (hopefully) may have noticed that wines come in many different bottle sizes. While the standard 750 ml bottle is the most common, there are several other sizes that you may encounter.
Here are the most common sizes (from smallest to largest) and some information about each one:
Split (187.5 ml): This is the smallest wine bottle size and is equivalent to a quarter of a standard bottle. Splits are often used for single servings or to sample a wine before committing to a full bottle.
Half-bottle (375 ml): Half-bottles are half the size of a standard bottle and are a great option if you want to open a bottle of wine but don’t want to finish the whole thing in one sitting.
Standard (750 ml): This is the most common size of wine bottle and is the size that most wines are bottled in. It’s also the size that most people are familiar with and is often used for gifts.
Magnum (1.5 L): A magnum is twice the size of a standard bottle and is often used for special occasions or aging wines. Many wine enthusiasts believe that wine ages more gracefully in larger bottles because there is less air in proportion to the wine, which slows the aging process.
Jeroboam (3 L): Jeroboams are four times the size of a standard bottle and are usually used for special occasions or cellaring wines. Some wineries also use Jeroboams for their premium cuvées.
Methuselah (6 L): A Methuselah is eight times the size of a standard bottle and is named after the biblical figure who lived to be 969 years old. Methuselahs are often used for special occasions and large format wine bottles are particularly popular for sparkling wines.
Salmanazar (9 L): A Salmanazar is twelve times the size of a standard bottle and is often used for large parties or events. It’s also a popular size for Champagne.
Balthazar (12 L): A Balthazar is sixteen times the size of a standard bottle and is named after one of the three wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Balthazars are often used for special occasions or aging wines.
Nebuchadnezzar (15 L): A Nebuchadnezzar is twenty times the size of a standard bottle and is named after the Babylonian king who built the Hanging Gardens. Nebuchadnezzars are often used for large parties or events and are also popular for sparkling wines.
While larger bottle sizes are often used for special occasions, many wine enthusiasts believe that wines aged in larger format bottles taste better and have better aging potential. Whether you’re looking to sample a new wine or to add a large format bottle to your collection, there’s a size that’s right for you.
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When is the Best Time to Invest in Fine Wine?
The fine wine market has always been a blend of passion and performance. For some, the allure lies in the artistry of the vineyard; for others, it’s the steady, tangible returns that make fine wine a compelling alternative asset.
But here’s the perennial question for investors: when is the right time to invest?
In our latest analysis at WineFi, we examined one of the most sought-after segments of the market—red Burgundy—to see how timing influences returns. We compared all red Burgundy wines in our investment universe to the Liv-ex Burgundy 150 index, the sector’s benchmark, and looked for patterns that could guide smarter entry and exit strategies.
The Findings at a Glance
Our data paints a clear picture of how red Burgundy performs at different stages of its lifecycle:
🚫 Don’t buy on release – On average, red Burgundy underperforms its benchmark in the first few years after release. That means paying top prices straight out of the gate often isn’t the best move for returns-focused investors.
🎯 Sweet spot: Year 6 – Performance begins to accelerate around the sixth year—coinciding with the median start of the wine’s drinking window. From here, returns tend to outpace the benchmark.
📈 Outperformance window: Years 6–25 – During this period, red Burgundy has historically delivered impressive relative gains. By year 25, the mean return in our dataset was 1.8x higher than the benchmark.
⚠️ After year 25: A trickier game – Performance tends to plateau, and volatility increases. As bottles become rarer and more valuable, prices can swing sharply in either direction. This aligns with the median end of red Burgundy’s drinking window, when investment and consumption dynamics shift.
Why This Matters for Investors
Fine wine, unlike many asset classes, is both finite and consumable. Every bottle opened reduces supply, creating scarcity—but also introducing unpredictability as remaining stock becomes fragmented across cellars worldwide.
By aligning purchases with a wine’s drinking window, investors can:
Maximise potential upside by entering when market demand is strengthening.
Reduce downside risk by avoiding the softer performance often seen in the early years.
Plan exits strategically before volatility overtakes predictable growth.
The Limits (and Power) of the Data
While this study looks at the mean performance of all red Burgundy wines in our universe, individual results will vary significantly by producer, vintage, and even format (bottle size). Legendary producers like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti may defy these trends altogether, while lesser-known estates might follow them more closely.
Still, using drinking windows as a timing tool offers a practical framework for making better-informed decisions—especially for investors building diversified portfolios across regions and styles.
Final Pour
The data tells us that patience pays in fine wine investment—particularly in Burgundy. If you can resist the urge to buy on release and instead enter around year six, history suggests you’ll be swimming with the current rather than against it.
In fine wine, as in life, timing is everything. And for Burgundy lovers, that sixth-year mark might just be the moment when the stars—and the corks—align.
