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How Many Glasses of Wine in a Bottle?
If you've ever hosted a party, you know how much work goes into planning the event and ensuring your guests stay happy. If wine is involved, it puts even more responsibility on your shoulders.
In this article, Vint will:
- Explain how many glasses are in a standard wine bottle
- Describe all the different bottle sizes in the world
- Tell you how to make your wine bottles go further when you're running out
There Are About 5 Glasses of Wine in Each Bottle
The average bottle of wine contains 750 mL, which equals 25 fluid ounces. Therefore, dividing 25 by five (the standard glass of wine in ounces) will show you that the traditional wine bottle holds about five glasses.
That said, this measurement is not black and white. You may often see that you run out of wine after pouring four (or even three) glasses.
How Are Wine Glasses and Bottles Measured?
It helps to understand how wine is measured. Because several different metrics apply, figuring out the numbers can be confusing. The fluid ounce is the most common wine measurement, measured by volume, unlike ounces (calculated by weight). A standard glass of wine is roughly five fluid ounces.
If you shop for wine often enough, you will probably see milliliters (mL) on wine bottle labels. One mL is 1/1000 of a liter. The average glass of wine measures around 147 mL, while an average bottle of wine contains about 750 mL. Most of the fine wines you invest in through Vint will come in this size bottle.
The average wine glass was made to hold slightly more than two ounces (66 mL) in 1700. With the sizes of glasses increasing substantially, pouring a standard glass by sight can be challenging.
How Much Wine Does an Average Wine Glass Hold?
These days, the average red wine glass holds between 12 and 14 fluid ounces (415 mL), while a standard white wine glass holds 12 fluid ounces (360 mL).
With most wine glasses, you can gauge a standard pour of wine by filling the glass slightly less than halfway; if you do this with each pour, you should get five glasses from the bottle.
What Are the Different Wine Bottle Sizes?
There are 16 other wine bottle sizes besides the standard 750mL bottle of wine that you might find around the world. Here are all the various wine bottle sizes available worldwide:
- Split or Piccolo: As the smallest available wine bottle size, a split or piccolo bottle holds just 187.5 mL, equivalent to one large glass of wine. These types of bottles are often served on airplanes or at events.
- Half or Demi: Coming in at 375 mL, the half (or demi) wine bottle is the second smallest and holds about two and a half standard pours.
- Half-liter or Jennie: The half-liter, also known as the "Jennie," contains 500 mL (half a liter). This gives you about three glasses of wine.
- Standard: We have already discussed this size at length; a standard bottle of wine holds five pours (750 mL) of wine.
- Liter: As the name suggests, a liter wine bottle contains 1,000 mL, which ends up being seven glasses of wine.
- Magnum: The magnum is the largest wine bottle you will see in your day-to-day life. It contains 1.5 L, which equals two standard bottles and ten glasses of wine.
- Jeroboam or Double Magnum: The name of this size also means what it suggests. The double magnum (or Jeroboam) is equal to four standard bottles of wine. The 3 L will give you twenty glasses.
- Rehoboam: Stepping up to an even larger size, the Rehoboam is 4.5 L, which comes to six standard bottles and 30 pours of wine.
- Methuselah: Methuselah wine bottles are 6 L, equal to 8 standard bottles and 40 glasses. In other words, it's the same as two double-magnum bottles.
- Salmanazar: This size bottle will give you 60 glasses of wine at 9 L. In other words, it holds 12 times the amount of a standard bottle.
- Balthazar: The 12 L Balthazar equals 16 standard bottles and 80 pours of wine. It's giant.
- Nebuchadnezzar: The sizes keep growing! This wine bottle is 15 L and equivalent to 20 standard bottles. The Nebuchadnezzar will yield 100 glasses of wine.
- Melchior: Coming in at 18 L, the Melchior bottle holds 120 glasses of wine or 24 standard bottles.
- Solomon: Instead of lugging around 26 or more standard bottles of wine, you can purchase one Solomon bottle. At 20 L, you will get just over 130 glasses of wine.
- Sovereign: If you find that you specifically need 175 pours of wine for your upcoming party or dinner, look for a sovereign bottle. This 26 L beast holds as much wine as 35 standard bottles.
- Primat or Goliath: The Goliath (or primat) is 27 L, which translates to 36 standard bottles of wine or 180 pours. This one lives up to its name.
- Melchizedek or Midas: If you happen to be in the market for an enormous bottle of wine, you will need to get your hands on a Melchizedek (or Midas) bottle. 30 L, 40 standard wine bottles, and 200 pours of wine—need we say more? One more thing: these bottles can sell for thousands of dollars.
The magnum is likely to be the biggest wine bottle you regularly see. But if you are arranging a big party or event, now you know what size of bottle you need!
How Can I Stretch a Bottle of Wine?
- Pour less wine
- Make wine-based drinks
OK, you've thoroughly prepared, but somehow the impossible has happened: you are running out of wine while people are still expecting more.
Rather than panicking, consider one of these tried-and-true strategies for stretching your bottles of wine and keeping the fun flowing:
Pour Less Wine
The most practical approach is to pour smaller glasses of wine for your guests. It may not be ideal, but at least each person can drink a little more wine without anyone getting left out.
Make Different Wine-Based Drinks
There are many tasty drinks that you can make with wine. Consider these ideas to stretch out your bottles:
Wine Spritzers
You can make wine spritzers with almost any type of wine, though they are most commonly made with red or white wine. These are an excellent option during summer because they are fruity, refreshing, and pair incredibly with backyard barbecue foods.
Essentially wine cocktails, they can be made dry or sweet. Dry spritzers like those made with sparkling water or Riesling go well with eggs, smoked salmon, and hollandaise sauce. Opt for a sweeter spritzer if you are going for a carb-heavy breakfast (such as waffles or pancakes).
Sangria
Sangria is another easy drink to make with wine. The best thing about sangria is that it is usually served chilled over ice, which means almost any kind of red wine that you have in the cupboard will do the trick.
You can make sangria with white wine, but it will provide a much lighter and crisper taste. When you get sangria at a restaurant or bar, it is typically fortified by brandy and sugar. But if you don't have brandy lying around the house, you can add a little sweetness with a fruity soda like Fanta.
"Wining" Down
How many bottles of wine will you need? How do you calculate how many glasses each bottle holds, and what size of glasses will you be pouring? Moreover, you must make an educated guess for how many drinks each guest will consume.
Here's the thing: Parties and dinners are supposed to be fun, even for the host! Don't let the pressure to make everything perfect rob you of the joy of spending time with friends and family.
As long as you can estimate how much your guests will be drinking, you can use the information above to ensure you have the perfect amount of wine with fewer bottles to worry about.
If you find yourself running low on wine while the party is still thriving, consider stretching out your bottles by creating spritzers or sangria. Most importantly, take comfort in the fact that you have prepared, and try to sit back and enjoy yourself a bit.
Sources:
Wine Glass Size in England from 1700 to 2017: A Measure of Our Time | The BMJ
