Your Complete Guide to Champagne Bottle Sizes
Last Updated on 16th March 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
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If you’re familiar with the French sparkling wine that’s known around the world as Champagne, then no doubt you’ll also know that there are various Champagne Bottle Sizes, some of which have the most unusual of names. Here’s your ultimate guide to the sizes of Champagne bottles, as well as their names and the history behind them.
Please note that, with the exception of the Magnum and Primat, the larger Champagne bottle sizes are named after Biblical Kings and figures.
The most popular sizes of Champagne bottles are the Standard (750 ml) and Magnum (1.5 l). Different websites will claim that there are differing numbers of Champagne bottle sizes. There are at least 15 different sizes of Champagne bottles.
Unlike some other famous drinks, the name Champagne is actually named for the region and there is no town called Champagne. The region itself is located in northeastern France, rather than a variety of grape. For more interesting information, be sure to check out our guide to the top facts about Champagne.
Champagne has been around in some form or another for several hundred of years. It wasn’t until the cellar master monk Dom Perignon developed the method in the village of Hautvillers that Champagne production truly took off. If you’re planning to visit the area, then a trip to Hautvillers is included in our suggested Champagne road trip itinerary.
In the beginning, the pressure of the sparkling wine was so strong that it caused many bottles to explode and corks to pop, leading it to be called ‘the devil’s wine’.
Today, Champagne bottles are made to withstand 10 atm of pressure, even though the wine itself only creates 5-6 atm of pressure. Champagne has a pressure of about 3 times greater than a car tyre.
Contents
Champagne bottle sizes
Please note that we have listed all glass sizes as tulip-sized glasses of Champagne, which is 187.5 ml.
Piccolo
The smallest size of Champagne bottle is the Piccolo. This is the size of one tulip-sized glass of Champagne, which is 187.5 ml. The mini Champagne bottle originated in Italy, and in Italian, ‘piccolo’ means small. This is sometimes referred to as the mini bottle.
Demi
As you might have guessed from the name, the demi is half the size of a standard sized bottle of Champagne. This bottle is 375 ml and contains two tulip-sized glasses of Champagne. This is sometimes referred to as the half Champagne bottle.
Pint (Winston Churchill)
Though not really in commercial sale, one of the more curious bottle sizes of Champagne is the pint sized bottle, which is around 570 ml. The Champagne bottle was created for Winston Churchill by Pol Roger and a bottle of it was delivered to Churchill every morning!
Standard Bottle
The standard bottle of Champagne is sold at 750 ml and this is the size that you’ll find at every Champagne producer. The standard 750 ml is also the standard size for a bottle of wine. This is 4 tulip-sized glasses of Champagne (or 6 small glasses).
Magnum
Of all the non-standard bottle sizes of Champagne, that which people are most familiar with is probably the magnum. This is 1.5 litres and is the size of two standard bottles.
This is often the easiest larger size of Champagne bottle to find. Many Champagne producers consider a magnum a great size to age Champagne. Magnum is the Latin word for ‘great’.
Jerboboam
The next size up is the smallest of the larger Champagne bottle sizes to be named for a biblical figure. Jeroboam is named for the first King of Israel and is the equivalent to four standard bottles of Champagne. The bottle is 3 litres and is equivalent to 4 standard sized-bottles or 16 tulip-sized glasses.
Rehoboam
According to the Bible, Rehoboam was the last King of the United Kingdom of Israel and the first King of the Kingdom of Judah. The bottle contains 4.5 litres and is the equivalent to 6 standard size bottles. The bottle is equivalent to 24 tulip-sized glasses.
Methuselah
Methuselah is named for the oldest man in the bible, who according to the scripture, was 969 years old when he died, which was around the time of Noah’s Ark. This champagne bottle contains 6 litres and is the equivalent to 8 standard bottles or 32 tulip-sized glasses.
Salmanazar
Salamanazar was the King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The bottle fits 9 litres, which is 12 standard bottles or the equivalent to 48 tulip-sized glasses.
Balthazar
In the bible, Balthazar was one of the three kings who attended the birth of Jesus and brought him a gift. As a Champagne bottle size, the bottle holds 12 litres, which is 16 bottles of standard-sized Champagne and the equivalent to 64 tulip-sized glasses of champagne.
Nebuchadnezzar
The next size of Champagne bottle is the Nebuchadnezzar, which holds 15 litres, which in turn is 20 bottles of standard sized-champagne or 80 tulip-sized glasses of the sparkling wine. Nebuchadnezzar is named for a Babylonian King and the bottle weighs a staggering 83.5 lbs.
Solomon
Solomon bottles of Champagne are the equivalent to 18 litres of Champagne, which is 24 standard-sized bottles or 96 tulip-sized glasses of Champagne. Solomon is one of the rarest sizes of Champagne bottle and is named for a King of Israel.
Sovereign
There is only one Champagne brand who makes the Sovereign size bottle of Champagne, and that is Taittinger. This is the equivalent of the equivalent of 35 regular bottles, meaning 140 tulip-sized glasses of Champagne.
Primat
Yet another Champagne bottle size, as well as the Sovereign, which is not named for a historical or biblical figure is the Primat. This is one of the largest sizes of Champagne bottles and is the equivalent of 27 litres, which is 36 bottles or 144 tulip-sized Champagne flutes. The bottle weighs 143 lbs.
Melchizedek
The largest bottle of Champagne is undoubtedly the rarest and hardest to find. Melchizedek was was the king of Salem and priest of El Elyon and is now the name of the largest Champagne bottle in the world. It’s not possible to find a larger sized bottle!
This bottle holds 30 litres of Champagne, which is 40 standard bottles or 160 tulip-sized champagne glasses. The Melchizedek is sometimes called the Midas bottle.
