Champagne Bottle Sizes

The first vines were planted in Champagne during the Roman Empire, but it was not until the Middle Ages that Champagne began to develop its renown. The first bottles of champagne appeared from around 1660, using techniques refined by Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk from the Abbey of Haut Villiers.

In the Champagne controlled appellation, only 3 grape varieties are permitted.

Pinot Noir – A red grape with a white juice

Pinot Meunier – A red grape with a white juice
Chardonnay – a white skinned grape with a white juice

Non vintage champagne is a blend of grapes and a blend of years. It is the skill of the winemaker that enables a Champagne house to produce a consistent tasting champagne year on year, despite changes in the weather and harvest.

We have all seen the giant champagne bottles used to celebrate a Grand Prix win. This page gives you a little bit of information as to what these bottle sizes are called, and where they got their names from!

Standard Bottle 75cl

Magnum 2 bottles (1.5 litres)

Jeroboam 4 bottles (3 litres) Named after the King of Israel who died in 912BC

Methuselah 8 Bottles (6 litres) Recorded in the Bible as the oldest man, died aged 969!

Salmanazar 12 bottles (9 litres) Named after a Salma, a unit of measure in Italy

Balthazar 16 bottles (12 litres) Named after the attributed name of 1 of the 3 wise men

Nebuchadnezzar 20 bottles (15 litres) Named after the legendary King of Babylon, between 605 and 502BC