Celebrate!

Dr. Konstantin Frank was a founder of the AWS, was named one of the wine industry’s most influential people of the last century by Wine Spectator magazine, and the winery was named one of the world’s Top 100 wineries in 2016 by Wine & Spirits magazine.

The Finger Lakes region has always been a beautiful and ideal location for grape growing and winemaking. When Dr. Frank and his family arrived in New York in the 1950s, he brought something new to what was already good about the wine industry both there and in the rest of the country.

The History

After spending years in the Ukraine, Dr. Frank believed that the Vitis Vinifera vines were not growing well in the Finger Lakes area because they lacked the correct rootstock, not because of the cold climate. After doing some extensive research with the vines, he was finally able to grow them successfully. This was the beginning of the “Vinifera Revolution” that enabled this region of the country to grow the grapes that would finally allow them to produce Old World European wines. His research and successful vintages earned him the attention of the entire wine world, and within ten years he founded Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars and began producing world class wines.

The Legacy Continues

One of the best things about the Vinifera Wine Cellars is that it is truly a family run winery. Dr. Frank’s son Willy Frank continued his father’s legacy of excellence and was responsible for producing the first world-class sparkling wines in the Finger Lakes region. Now Willy’s son, Frederick Frank, has taken over the winery and continued his family’s commitment to growing spectacular grapes and producing nationally recognized, respected and award winning wines. Next in line is his daughter, Meaghan Frank, who will be the fourth generation to assume leadership of Dr. Frank’s winery as well as the family’s legacy.

Each generation of Franks has built upon Dr. Frank’s original foundation of vinifera vines and pays careful attention to every detail of the wine making process, from nurturing the original vines to entering competitions all over the world. The Frank family champions their own quality wines as well as all of those produced by neighboring Finger Lakes wineries.

The Celebration

Join us on Wednesday, May 10th at 7:00pm at the Evergreen Community Center to celebrate the AWS 50th Anniversary by tasting wines from one of the most prestigious and beloved wineries in the Finger Lakes: Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars.

To help celebrate the 50th Anniversary, the winery has created a video presentation featuring a tasting with Fred and Meaghan Frank, third and fourth generation of the family, for chapters to watch while enjoying their wines.  Chapters across the country will also be participating in this event as part of the AWS’ year-long anniversary celebration.

There is only one 50th Anniversary! RSVP by May 5, 2017!

WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2017 at 7:OO

Evergreen Community Center, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 

REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR WINE GLASSES!

The cost for members and guests is $25.

Please reply before May 5, 2017 to:

aws.pittsburgh@gmail.com

Or you may reply to 412-657-0777.

Mail your check, payable to AWS to:

Dr. Dennis Trumble

1302 Arch St

Pittsburgh PA  15212

Don’t forget to visit the website for directions, useful tips, and recipes.

  

aws-pittsburgh.blogspot.com

Finger Lakes

Let me begin by letting you know that we are fans of the Finger Lakes.  We’ve visited the area, tasted the wines, stayed in some lovely places, and enjoyed some great food (pot roast at the Sherwood Inn)!  So, yes, we’re a little biased.

The history of the Finger Lakes began roughly two million years ago, when the region was created by continental glaciers. When they receded, they formed a series of long, skinny, deep lakes. (They’re also responsible for the gorges that nearby Ithaca are famous for, and those in Watkins Glen State Park.) These are moraine lakes, just like Moraine State Park in Butler.

The combination of deep water (Seneca Lake is 632 feet at its deepest point) and steep sloping hills create the ideal micro-climate for grape growing in the Finger Lakes. It protects the growth of native grapes, hybrids, and even the more delicate varieties of Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir.

The first European explorers of the East Coast were impressed with the number of wild grapevines that grew there. When he saw them, 16th-century Italian explorer Giovanni Verrazano wrote, “[There are] many vines, growing naturally, which growing up, tooke hold of the trees as they doe in Lombardie, which if by husbandmen they were dressed in good order, without all doubt they would yield excellent wines,” (from Thomas Pinney’s A History of Wine in America).

Creating a wine industry there that would produce the kind of wine they enjoyed in Europe was a dream of the colonists. But every time they tried they failed. Even though the vines of many species of North American wild grapes grew there, nearly all of them yielded unsatisfactory wines. Europeans had cultivated their diverse vinifera (“wine bearer”) grapevines for thousands of years and had selected them for their wine quality. But on this side of the Atlantic, the vinifera planted in eastern North America failed to survive long enough to bear commercial crops. (That changed much later thanks to the efforts of a stubborn but visionary Ukrainian immigrant to the Finger Lakes.) As a result, there was no commercially produced domestic table wine or sacramental wine there. Imported wine was scarce and expensive.

The rise of Finger Lakes wine is a recent thing, given the long history of grape-growing in the area. Plantings of vines in the region took off in the 19th century, but most were either native grapes like Concord and Catawba, or French-American hybrids like Cayuga, rather than vinifera grapes. Not until the 1950s did a concerted effort begin to demonstrate that vinifera grapes could grow in the cool, wet climate.

Finger Lakes producers today are still getting a sense of where the best terroirs are, and a lot of research is still ahead of them. In addition, the Finger Lakes AVA remains an undercapitalized region in which many producers have to compromise, harvesting with machines, for example, to save on the labor costs required for hand-picking. More investment will mean better wines. Meanwhile, they are really good now, and, for the time being at least, reasonably priced.

Finger Lakes Wine Facts

1. The Finger Lakes was established as an American Viticulture Area (AVA) on October 1, 1982. An AVA is the U.S. federal government’s designation for a geographic area where wine grapes are grown and where the growing conditions, such as soil and climate, are easily distinguishable from other areas.
2. About 90 percent of New York State’s wine is produced in the Finger Lakes, the state’s largest wine region.
3. The Finger Lakes AVA has 130 wineries, 9,393 acres of vineyards; 54,600 tons of grapes are produced each year.
4. The Finger Lakes is home to 828 acres of Riesling, including more than 200 different Riesling brands, producing an average of 220,000 cases each year. The average Finger Lakes winemaker produces 2-3 styles of Riesling a year.
5. Following Riesling, the most common grapes grown in the Finger Lakes include: Chardonnay (340.53 acres), Cabernet Franc (220.74 acres), Pinot Noir (179.19 acres), Gewürztraminer (104.94 acres), Merlot (62.25 acres), Pinot Gris (51.45 acres)
6. The Finger Lakes’ growing season lasts between 190 and 205 days.
7. The earliest instance of grape growing in the Finger Lakes can be dated back to 1829, when Reverend William Bostwick planted Catawba and Isabella grapes in his Hammondsport rectory garden.
8. The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station on Seneca Lake in Geneva, with grape breeding and viticultural research programs, was established in 1882.
9. In the 1950s, Ukrainian immigrant Dr. Konstantin Frank, with a Ph.D. in viticulture and his experience winemaking in the cool Ukrainian climate, was the first to successfully plant vinifera grapes in the Finger Lakes, where previously only hybrids were commercially grown. The “Vinifera Revolution” had begun!
10. An important moment in the history of the region’s wine industry came in 1976 with the passing of the New York Farm Winery Act, which reformed tax and marketing regulations to allow New York grape growers to sell directly to the public. Within 20 years of the law taking effect the number of Finger Lakes wineries grew from 6 to 50.
11.  Meritage blends made in the Finger Lakes are commonly composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
12. Ice wines are produced from ripe grapes that are pressed while frozen. This causes some water in the grapes to remain on the skin, producing very sweet, thick and concentrated dessert-style wines. Finger Lakes ice wines are commonly made from hybrid grapes like Vidal.

Check the blog often for tasting notices, tips, and wine talk.

http://aws-pittsburgh.blogspot.com/

Varietal View

The Blue Wine of Franconia

Is that a cheese that smells like feet? Is it a kind of hamburger? No and no. Lemberger (not Limburger, which is a cheese from an area on the Belgian/German/Dutch border) is a red grape grown in the Württemberg area of Germany. The grape's history probably extends back into the middle ages, though the first recorded mention of it was in 1862. It, like many older grapes, has had a myriad of names, but the only other one an American is likely to see on a bottle beside Lemberger or Blaufränkisch is Kékfrankos (the Hungarian version). The name Lemberger arose in Germany because during the 19th century the wine was imported to there from Lemberg, a location in Lower Styria (now a part of Slovenia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire).

Lemberger is a mixed bag. It’s a dark skinned and can have good mouth-drying tannin and spice but it can also make light wine that’s not very good. It’s grown all over central Europe.  In the Burgenland region of Austria, Blaufränkisch is highly regarded. It’s also popular in the Czech Republic, in Slovenia, in Croatia, and in Hungary where it’s a main component of the Egri Bikaver (aka, Bull’s Blood, a blended wine that can be powerful or awful depending on the producer).

The wine is not a big part of the American wine market for several reasons. One is the multitude of names, all complex for the average person to read or pronounce.  The simplest and most widely used reason by American wineries is that the name, Lemberger, is too suggestive of the strong-smelling Limburger cheese (to which it has absolutely no relation). Another reason is that while the grape can make good wine, it’s relatively obscure on the world market.  Quality wines made from this grape in modern times probably go no farther back than a couple of decades.

Much like Italian spaghetti sauce, typical Lemberger is something that doesn't exist.  There are two main and diverse styles.  One is a strong, full-bodied wine like some of California's bigger Zinfandels and the other is lighter and softer, similar to Pinot Noir. What are common to both styles, however, are a bluish-red color and a "spicy" nose and taste. The underlying taste elements are typical of good reds, notably dark-berry flavors such as black cherry, blackberry, or red currant, plus that note of spice. All versions will age, but some are designed for cellaring and will turn into smooth, almost silky wines. The others, more assertive and fruit-forward, are better young.

Though the wine is made all over the Old World, it’s mainly in Washington State that New World Lemberger is grown (though Australia is apparently starting to increase production of Blaufränkisch wines). In Washington, styles vary ranging from light, Pinot-like wines to heavier Zinfandel-like versions, or even to fortified wines in the style of port.

Some makers are trying to avoid the false Lemberger/Limburger association by using various proprietary names (such as "Blue Franc"). The lack of domestic interest in Lemberger makes the wines something of a steal for selective (that means AWS members) bargain hunters.  Locally, Kavic Winery makes a medium-bodied version that’s very tasty. Theirs is labeled as BLAUFRÄNKISCH. 

http://www.kavicwinery.net/

Cocktail Party Fodder: Lemberger has been called "the Pinot Noir of the East" because of its popularity and reputation in Eastern Europe.

Check the blog often for news, tips and tasting notices.

http://aws-pittsburgh.blogspot.com/

Varietal View

Gewürztraminer

My wine making buddies and I have made some very good Gewürztraminer over the years. Since we like Asian food, it seemed to be a good thing to make. But, I have a confession. One of the reasons (but not the only reason) that I like Gewürztraminer is that whenever I say the word I think of Steve Carrell and Dana Carvey portraying Germans Who Say Nice Things from Saturday Night Live. (https://youtu.be/M6mndRtsS88)

Also, I like the information that Wikipedia provides:

“Gewürztraminer [ɡəˈvʏɐtstʁaˈmiːnɐ] is an aromatic wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz, and in French it is written Gewurztraminer (without the umlaut)”.

Let me make this clear; [ɡəˈvʏɐtstʁaˈmiːnɐ] is not helpful. Secondly, somebody tell me why the French have to be like that?  There is no reason not to use the umlaut. The umlaut is a fantastic diacritical mark. You’ve never seen a better mark than this.  Important people, VERY important people have told me that those are the best two dots in any alphabet. Use it!

What is Gewürztraminer?

First, let’s discuss how to pronounce the name of this grape.

Guh-voortz-truh-meener

Gewürztraminer, aside from being fun to say, is perhaps the most complicated of the wine grapes. This grape has quite a history, beginning as a green grape which then morphed into pinkish-red due to a genetic mutation that took place over centuries. It's made even more complicated by its misnaming of vines throughout Europe for much of the last century. Adding yet another layer of complexity, Gewürztraminer is very particular about its soil and it needs to be picked at just the right moment to achieve the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.

It's a sweet, pinkish-red grape used in white wines, and runs the gamut from dry to super sweet. It’s best when enjoyed sooner after bottling than later, has a very high natural sugar, with flavors such as honey, apricot, pear and rose, as well as a hint of lychee, passion fruit, and some floral notes.

Gewürztraminer is grown all over Europe, as well as in Australia, Canada and the US, though it's widely considered that the best Gewürztraminer comes from the Alsace region of France. But, that’s subjective. There’s great Gewürtz all over the place.

It’s the second most planted grape in France, growing best in the south of the Alsace region, but can also be found in Germany and Italy. In Germany, it tends to be drier, and in Italy it’s aged in Austrian oak. Variations in climate and wine-making lend to variations in wine by even closely neighboring countries.

In North America, Gewürztraminer is most commonly found in the Finger Lakes AVA of New York, Monterey, Mendocino, and Sonoma regions of California, as well as the Columbia Valley of Oregon and Washington.

How to Pair

The sweetness of Gewürztraminer helps to offset the spice in Asian or Indian food, as sweet wines often do, and it also pairs well with fleshy or fatty meats, such as wild game and sausage.

Gewürztraminer also balances the smoky flavors of Muenster cheese and smoked salmon. Last, the super-sweet (look for “late harvest” on the label) varieties make excellent dessert wines.

Typical Aromas of a Gewürztraminer Based Wine:

Fruity:  Pear, Lychee, Peach, Apricot, Guava, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, Mango, Grapefruit, Sultana (Golden Raisin)

Floral:  Roses, Rose Petal, Gardenia, Carnation, Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Honey, Perfume

Spicy:  Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, White Pepper, Allspice, Clove

Strange but True:  Coconut, Pond’s Cold Cream, Cheap Rose Perfume, Nivea Cream, ” “Old Lady Perfume”, Church Incense, Petroleum, Turpentine, Diesel, Gasoline.

Check the blog often for more tips, news and wine stuff!

http://aws-pittsburgh.blogspot.com/

Varietal View

AT THE SOURCE

How many of you enjoyed a nice Riesling with your Easter dinner?  It’s a food-friendly, moderately priced wine and readily available in your local Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores.  In May, our tasting will be focused on the wines of Dr. Konstantin Frank.  When you think of Finger Lakes wine, most often Riesling comes to mind.  A fifth of all of the wine grapes planted in Germany are Riesling, so to talk about Riesling, you have to start with Germany.  So, we thought that we’d give you a bit of background on this particular grape.

There’s a lot of Riesling planted in Germany, but there's a lot to like. Riesling can taste like peach or apricot, with lime-like tartness. It's also incredibly aromatic, with jasmine and honeysuckle. Even though the scientific evidence is lacking, if you drink a bottle from grapes grown on blue or red slate, you'll swear you can taste through the fruit flavors to the minerals at the wine's core.

If Riesling grapes stay on the vine long enough to be affected by botrytis, called 'noble rot', then the wines will take on flavors of ginger and honey. You won't find much German Riesling aged in oak barrels.  Winemakers prefer to emphasize the freshness of the grape rather than weigh it down with oak. Riesling also ages well. Bottles taste amazing 10, 20, even 30 years after the vintage.

DON'T FEAR THE SUGAR

Not all German Rieslings are sweet, but you shouldn't avoid a Riesling with a little residual sugar. Riesling grapes are naturally very high in acid, and the cool, northern climate of Germany means this acid stays in the grapes even into the fall harvest season. So winemakers let the fermentation stop before the wine is completely dry, retaining a little sweetness in order to balance the wine.

Think of it like this: Have you ever made fresh lemonade? If you taste it and it's too tart, you add some sugar until the flavor is right: plenty tart, with just enough sweetness to soften the edge a little.

That bit of sweetness also makes these Rieslings friendly at the dinner table. Sugar will help moderate spice. Try an off-dry German Riesling with Indian or Thai food. Add something fatty and you'll discover that acidity, sweetness, and richness are great together.

THE PRÄDIKAT SYSTEM

German wine labels can be a bit intimidating. (So many umlauts!) But there's useful information on those labels, so it's worth getting to know a few terms.

Like wine anywhere, Germany's highest quality bottlings come from a specific place. In Germany, that starts with table wine from anywhere in the country.  That's Deutscher Wein. Then there's Landwein, which is from broad geographic areas within the country, a bit like Vin de Pays in France or Indicazione Geografica Tipica in Italy.

Above those two, there are two categories: Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (Quality wine from a certain wine region) and Prädikatswein, which will also have the specific region listed. Prädikatswein is the highest level for wine classification and must be labeled by Prädikat. A note on the bottle tells you about the ripeness level of the grapes before they were made into wine. As the grapes get riper, they pack in more sugar and more intensity of flavor.

The levels in the Prädikat system can give you an idea of how sweet the wine will be. The more ripe the grapes are, the more sugar they have before fermentation, and the more likely there will be some sugar left over when the fermentation stops. This leftover sugar is called 'residual sugar'.

(Prädikat isn't a perfect predictor of sweetness, though. More on the exceptions later.)

Kabinett is the least ripe and wines in this category are usually light and fresh. Grapes for Spätlese wines were left on the vine a little longer to get more sugar, and the resulting wine is likely to be more powerful and rich, plus sweeter than the Kabinett. Auslese wines are even sweeter, and are made from riper grapes than Spätlese. These wines age very well, though they're also excellent accompaniments to a cheese plate.

For a sweet wine for after dinner look for Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese. Those are the sweet wines.  Trocken means 'dry,' but in Trockenbeerenauslese, the term refers to the dried berries on the vine rather than the wine. These sweet wines are made with late-harvest grapes attacked by botrytis or 'noble rot', the same fungus that makes the renowned wines of Sauternes.

Finally, grapes for Eiswein (Ice wine) are picked and pressed in winter when they are frozen. Freezing concentrates the sweet grape juice, and these wines tend to be the sweetest, and most expensive.

HOW DO YOU KNOW HOW SWEET THE WINE IS?

If you’re at the Fine Wine and Good Spirits store, and staring at the wall of German Riesling, how do you know if you are getting something bone dry, off-dry, or made for dessert?

It would be nice if it could be as simple as always paying attention to the ripeness levels noted by the Prädikat categories above. But sometimes winemakers will decide to take a wine made from Spätlese-level ripe grapes and call it a Kabinett.

Here's a handy trick. Look at the alcohol percentage. The lower the alcohol, the sweeter the wine will be. This is because not all the sugar has been converted to alcohol through fermentation. Is the ABV 8%? Then it's going to be on the sweeter side. Is the alcohol at 13%? That should be pretty dry.

There are a couple more German words that are worth learning to help you determine sweetness.

If you see Trocken on the label that means it's dry. (This is true even if there's also a Spätlese on the bottle. that term refers to ripeness, and the Trocken is the final word on dryness.)

Halbtrocken is off-dry. These are perfect for that Thai or Indian dinner. If you see Selection on the bottle, that wine will be dry (and sourced from a single vineyard) while a wine labeled Classic is off-dry, like Halbtrocken.

A wine labeled with 'GG' will also be dry. This is short for Grosses Gewächs ("Great Growth"). This means that grapes from a very good vineyard site were used to make a dry wine. These great sites are a bit like a 'Grand Cru' vineyards in Burgundy. These wines will generally be more expensive than bottles labeled 'Trocken' or 'Selection,' but will also be powerful and complex.

If you’re still not sure if a wine is dry or sweet? The International Riesling Foundation (yes, such a thing exists) has created a scale of sweetness that you might see on the back of Riesling bottles.

MORE LABEL HINTS

Many German wine bottles will bear a picture of an eagle (adler) with a cluster of grapes, indicating membership in the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (Association of German Prädikat Wineries), abbreviated as the VDP. This organization was formed to promote quality wine in Germany by requiring its members to adhere to strict guidelines. Plenty of great producers have chosen to opt out of VDP membership, though.

There's another thing to look for when you're scanning labels that I learned at our most recent tasting. Joe and Ruth Barsotti suggested that, if you're not familiar with the winemaker, check the back of the bottle to find out who imported the wine. There are many great importers who have all built impressive portfolios of some of the most renowned estates in Germany.

SINGLE VINEYARDS

It’s difficult to ripen grapes in the cool climate of Germany, but generations of winemakers (there have been vines planted in Germany since Roman times) have found spots for remarkable vineyards. Some of the best sites are along rivers, such as the Mosel and the Rhine, because the steep south-facing slopes get maximum sun.

Single vineyards appear on German wine labels with the name of the town ending in 'er' preceding the vineyard name. Ürziger Würzgarten is the Würzgarten vineyard in the town of Ürzig, for example. Many winemakers make wines from each vineyard. Each producer owns just a segment of the vineyard, and may farm his parcel of vines alongside a dozen neighbors.

Check the blog often for more tips, news, and notices

http://aws-pittsburgh.blogspot.com/

French Wines with Joe Barsotti

Last night we had a wonderful tasting of French wines presented by Joe Barsotti.  We tasted one sparkling wine, two white wines, and three red wines.  All were fantastique!  We would like to thank Joe and his lovely wife Ruth for sharing their knowledge of French wines, and their insights into the particular wines that were presented.  Please visit them at http://www.barsottiwines.com/ for the details on how to acquire these, and many other, fine wines.

Un merci special to our hosts for the evening, Kevin and Bob Dering, and Mary and John Eld for providing the wonderful accompaniments for the wines.  If you are interested in becoming a host for one of our tastings, please contact Ellen Barner (light1all@aol.com).  She will be happy to provide the details for you.  Here’s a tip!  You get to attend the tasting for free if you host! 

The Wines (available from Barsotti Wines)

1.       The Furst Cremant d'Alsace - 21.18*

The Furst Crémant d’Alsace is made from 100% Pinot Blanc, using méthode traditionnelle, with the second fermentation occurring in the bottle. This delicate sparkling white wine has subtle citrus notes and white flower aromas. Drink Crémant d’Alsace from the Furst when the wine is young, on its own, with light seafood, or even dessert. Serve well chilled.

2.       Domaine Michel Vauvy Sauvignon Blanc Touraine - 15.83**

Attractively aromatic, rich dry Sauvignon Blanc showing the fruit character of fully ripe grapes. Exotic fruits on the nose and just a hint of mint. On the palate it’s fresh and tangy and the finish is fruity.

3.       Domaine de la Meuliere Chablis - 25.46

This more complex bottle is a premier cru with typical Chablis aromas of citrus and peaches. Very subtle on the palate with a long finish, this is a wine that expresses the great quality of its specific terroir.

4.       Domaine des Clos Godeaux Chinon - 18.50

This wine has a purplish red color, a bouquet with green peppers, red berries, tobacco and spicy and floral notes. Its ample texture gives a very nice freshness and a persistent finish. Pair with white meats, poultry, “cooked” cheese (Parmegiano, Comte, gruyere).

5.       Domaine Le Garrigon Cotes du Rhone - 15.83

This is a fantastic, purely fruit-driven wine with supple black cherries and plum fruit and notes of lavender, spice, and mineral. The tannins are subtle but present, making this ideal with meat-based fare.

6.       Chateaux Aimee Haut Medoc Rouge - 19.57***

Typical of the Médoc. It has a clear ruby color ​​and aromas of red fruits. It has a round structure. Enjoy it with meats, poultry or cheese.

*Favorite Sparkling (this one was easy)

** Favorite white

*** Favorite red

Visit the blog often for news, tips, and information!

http://aws-pittsburgh.blogspot.com/

Drinking wine bigly

Each month at our AWS Pittsburgh tastings, we hold a raffle for a large format bottle of wine. ($2 per ticket / $5 for six tickets / $20 for an arm’s length of tickets)  I’ve been asked why we do this.  Part of the magic of great wine is sharing it with friends and family at a meal or a tasting. Big bottles not only have the command presence, but almost obligate their owners to open them for a large group. The old image of rusty jugs of cheap vin de table (i.e. Blue Nun specials) at fraternity parties generally don’t come to mind these days.  Big bottles are an image statement.

Without getting overly technical, we know that wine ages through oxidation. There is a fairly small amount of oxygen trapped inside every wine bottle.  The space between the wine and the cork is called ullage, and older bottles can often show a shoulder fill which is greater ullage. This is often a result of oxidation, which occurs naturally over time.

A big wine bottle has less oxygen relative to the volume of wine, which means that the wine oxidizes more slowly. Think of the ratio of air to liquid in big bottles. Slower oxidation tends to lead to a longer aging and slower and better maturation. This, in turn, effects aromas, and the overall stability of the wine, yielding wine that can age longer, given proper storage conditions (where the bottle in left in the dark with stable cool temperature and sufficient humidity to protect the integrity of the cork).

So, large bottles will age better and longer, and tend to be more robust – more resistant to temperature irregularities (that can occur from power outages, moving bottles to a different location, etc.).

Does Size Matter?

Some people say that it doesn’t, so why is a standard wine bottle 750ml? The quick answer is that the US formalized the size of wine bottles with plurality in major European nations to 750 ml, or 25.4 ounces, in 1972 for the 1973 vintage. This created a balance between American fluid ounce measurements and metric to standardize glass production globally. 750ml is almost one fifth of a gallon, a very typical American measurement.

Legend has it that, in the 16th and 17th century when glass bottles for wine were gaining popularity as a container for beverages, glass blowers made all bottles by hand. A typical glass blower’s lung capacity was about 750ml using one breath to create a bottle. Therefore, the average size of wine bottles stems from the average lung capacity of European glass blowers 400 to 500 years ago.

Wine Bottle Sizes

The names of different wine bottle sizes might sound a little odd since many are named after biblical kings. So, it's no wonder why the different sizes can be a bit confusing. How many different wine bottle sizes are there? Usually, there are 14 and sometimes even a few more.

Split Bottles: A split bottle is a quarter of a standard 750 ml bottle of wine, or 187.5 ml. Though you can find a few more expensive bottles of wine sold in splits, this size is mostly used for Champagne and sparkling wine. These small bottles measure about 2 1/2 inches wide and are around 7 1/2 inches tall.

750 ml or Standard Bottles:  This is the average wine bottle and measures about three inches at the bottom and ranges from 11 1/2 inches to 12 inches tall.

Magnum:  A magnum holds a liter and a half of wine and is the equivalent of two standard bottles. Magnum bottles often have slightly different shapes based on the wine to be bottled, such as Champagne, Bordeaux or Burgundy. The dimensions of the magnum bottle vary slightly depending on the type of bottle but, most are going to be about 14 inches tall and a little under 4 inches wide at the base.

Double Magnum:  Double magnums hold three liters of sparkling wine, Champagne and wine. This is 4 standard bottles.

Jeroboam:  A Jeroboam holds 4 1/2 liters of sparkling wine, Champagne and wine. This is 6 standard bottles. The dimensions of a Jeroboam average about 19 1/2 inches tall and 5 inches wide.

Rehoboam:  This bottle has the same dimensions of a Jeroboam (4 1/2 liters of wine, or 6 standard bottles) and is primarily used for Champagne.

Methuselah:  The next biggest bottle of wine is a Methuselah. This bottle holds 6 liters or about 8 standard bottles of wine. A Methuselah bottle stands around 22 inches tall.

Mordechai or Salamanzar:  This 9 liter (around 12 standard bottles) bottle is just over two feet tall.

Balthazar:  A Balthazar bottle holds 12 liters of wine or 16 standard bottles and measures in at about 28 inches tall.

Nebuchadnezzar:  Holding 20 standard bottles of wine, or about 16 liters, a Nebuchadnezzar averages around 31 inches tall.

Melchior:  If you're looking to buy a Melchoir bottle, then you may have to search a bit for this 18 liter (24 standard bottles) monster.

Solomon:  A Solomon bottle holds 20 liters, the equivalent of about 27 standard bottles of wine.

Goliath or Primat: Almost the largest bottle of wine, the Goliath contains 27 liters or 36 bottles of wine in one bottle.

Melchizedek: Finally, there’s the biggest of them all, the Melchizedek. Some say this bottle truly exists, while others say that it's pure myth. In theory, a Melchidezek holds 30 liters of wine or 40 standard bottles.

Downside to Big Bottles?

So, is there a downside to collecting big bottles?  There are a few to consider:  Pricing, handling and storage, risk and sale.

In terms of pricing, large-format wine bottles don’t offer price savings. Big bottles generally command a premium in the marketplace because of their collectability.

Pouring directly from a large wine bottle is probably a bad idea. Besides having to heft a heavy bottle, the wine can come out under enough pressure to knock a glass out of your hand. Large bottles should be poured into decanters, and may require purchasing a pouring instrument.

Opening big wine bottles can be a pain. The corks of large-format wine bottles have a larger diameter than standard bottles, but they’re usually normal in length. Be certain you have a firm grip in the cork with the corkscrew and start pulling very gently, making sure the cork is moving and sliding free from the glass instead of bulging next to the corkscrew insertion point. Once the cork is moving, you should have no trouble.  Some large bottles may require using 2 cork screws.

Where do you chill your Balthazar of champagne? Empty the fridge and slide it in? Lay it in the bathtub?

Finding the dimensions for the largest bottles of wine is nearly impossible because many of these wine bottle sizes are rarely made and rarely sold at your local Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores. After you get past a double magnum, the larger sizes aren't sold very often anywhere. Think about it.  You would have to be Goliath to serve the wine out of a 36 liter bottle of wine like a Goliath?

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