Champagne bottle sizes

We are all familiar with the standard sized bottle of champagne, which although quite a bit heavier than a wine bottle is only slightly larger. But were you aware that there are at least 13 other sizes of Champagne bottle that exist, from quarter bottles (just 20cl) to the enormous Melchizedek (a whopping 30L). There are also defunct sizes, such as the 'pint' bottle (568ml) designed originally by Pol Roger for Winston Churchill, and specialist sizes for individual houses.

It is often said that the larger the bottle the better the quality of the wine inside, but this is far from completely true. Most Champagne houses can only produce their Champagne in bottles no larger than a Magnum (1.5L or 2 bottles), or in some cases a Jeroboam (3L or 4 bottles), larger sizes are produced to order by opening standard bottles and filling the appropriate bottle size. This is mainly because the larger sizes are very hard to handle in a cellar, and because the pressures become so great that there is a very real risk of the bottles exploding. There is a perceived raised quality level in the Magnum and Jeroboam, helped by factors including reduced oxygen exposure to volume of Champagne (there's the same amount of air in a standard bottle as there is in a Jeroboam), and greater volume of lees (dead yeast cells) to add complexity of flavour. So it's arguable that Champagne in one of these two sizes will show better characteristics than those much larger examples. But be careful, not all Jeroboams are fermented in a 3L bottle, some Champagne houses can only produce Jeroboams by pouring in 4 standard bottles. So in most cases the Magnum is the safest bet. As Winston Churchill wrote, "The Magnum bottle is just right for two gentlemen, especially if one of them isn't drinking".

So why the different sizes? The history of the different sizes of Champagne bottles is hard to find, but the most likely reason for them is that the different producers competed with each other to sell more magnificent bottles for large parties and celebrations, each time producing them larger and with more glorious names. Whatever your need there is a Champagne bottle size for you, but if your group is small the Magnum is always a perfect choice.