Quick Tip: Two things to remember when buying and serving a large format bottle. First, part of the purpose of a large format is the drama, so pour straight from the bottle without decanting. Second, aim for a bottle in the double magnum size and never above a Joroboam, anything larger and you will be unable to suavely pour. 

In wine bottles we mean. Did you know that the large sized wine bottles are primarily named after kings, royalty, and other notable figures of the Middle East? Those history buffs out there know who Methuselah (said to have lived 900+ years), Nebuchadnezzar, Rehoboam, and Balthazar are (For a brief history lesson), but for those of us in the wine world they hold more meaning as sizes of large-format wine bottles. To confuse things more, there are different standards if you’re referring to still or sparkling wine. So, for the purpose of this short post, we will be talking about still wines (hope & grace style!). For the airplane industry and the avid pic-nicker there are the small bottles. Most popular on your next flight or in your hotel room bar are the Piccolo or Chopine sizes that are 1/8 and ¼ respectively. You can pick up a bottle of the hope & grace Santa Lucia Highlands in a Demi, ½ bottle size at our tasting room and pair it with a couple Govino logo glasses for your next out-door adventure. Most people are familiar with the full bottle that is universally known as 750ml (Not a full liter). Then we start talking about the big-boys. Luca De Ferrari of Poderi Boscarelli noted “Producers and drinkers are always attracted by the larger formats of wine bottle, such as the magnum, for an added element of ceremony” and it has been observed that the large format bottles slow the aging process allowing the wine to age with elegance in comparison to smaller bottles. At hope & grace we keep a select number of magnums (double bottles) in the tasting room for discerning guests. Then we start getting into the names of old kings and leaders. A Jerobaom is equivalent to 6 bottles and an Imperial/Methuselah is equivalent to 8. Primarily bottles above that size are sparkling, although it has become more popular (and somewhat of a status symbol) for wineries to produce very limited large size bottles for events or publicity. Have you seen the one at Beringer? It’s called “Maximus” and holds 173 bottles of wine and in 2004, the Guiness Book of World Records dubbed it the world’s largest bottle.

Liters                         Name                                      Bottle Equivalent

0.375L                        Demi-bottle                           ½

0.75L                          Bottle (duh!)                          1

1.5L                             Magnum                                 2

2.25L                          Marie Jeanne                         3

3.0L                             Jeroboam                               4

4.5L                             Rehoboam                             6

6.0L                            Imperial/Methuselah          8

9.0L                            Mordechai/Salmanazar     12 (A Case)

12.0L                          Balthazar                                16

16.0L                          Nebuchadnezzar                  20

18.0L                          Melchior                                24

Most likely many early vintners found ways to protect their wines using oiled cloth or other means, but soon a thin lead sheet became popular to protect the cork of wines. Lead was used because of its malleability to the unusual shape of the neck of a bottle.

In the ‘90’s however in a major crackdown on heavy metals in the United States the FDA banned the use or importation of wines with lead capsules. Reasons range from the detrimental effects in landfills to the trace amounts that would be left on the lip of the bottle and potentially ingested during consumption. Regardless, wine producers started using other materials, Tin being another easily pliable material quickly took over. But between 2002 and 2008 the cost of a ton of Tin increased 250%. Capsule producers started turning then more and more to Aluminum, Plastics, and Aluminum-Plastic Hybrids.

Of course now other closures such as the screw top have removed both the cork and often times the classic capsule from use. When you pull the capsule off a bottle of wine it most likely is aluminum or plastic with some exceptions being Tin. They are heat-shrinked onto the bottles giving a nice feel. When you’re at your local wine store take a look around, do you see any “naked” wines. Some wine makers have started to go back to using no capsule at all (Since many wineries don’t cellar there wines in dank dungeons with cork weevils much any more), preferring it as more natural and interesting looking.

Some wine makers have also decided to dip the mouth of their wine bottles in wax, for example our special Cuvee Amor has been dipped. The rest of our wines you will find have a Tin capsule. Nate, one of our local tasting salon experts at hope & grace notes that “you can tell the difference between capsules most easily when you cut them.” He explains an easy way to identify what the capsule on your next wine is… “First, if it’s a bottle of hope & grace it will be a tin capsule, that’s easy. You can tell because tin will leave a smoother cut when cut with a wine key or similar straight blade. It will also feel heavy when removed from the bottle. Aluminum tends to cut with a more jagged edge and if you compare it to a tin capsule, it’s much lighter. Plastic and plastic hybrids are generally easy to identify because they don’t cut very well, often times the entire capsule comes off when cut, and it feels thin and more brittle than the metals.” Check out more information on local capsule producer Lafitte USA’s website. They have more information about polymer capsules and cutting edge new options.

We understand that each and every wine tastes different and has a unique aroma, mouth feel, texture and expression. We understand the role that the soil, climate, vintage and élevage all have on this elixir…. Yet, we have never had a concrete visual expression of wine.

Our winemaker, Charles Hendricks passion for the science of the wine industry lead him to Sondra Barrett, a Bay Area artist, who explores the molecular expression of vitamins, minerals and even wine! Sondra has used a microscope with a prism to capture the molecular expression of our 2008 hope & grace Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir and our new 2008 hope & grace Cuvee Amor…

Sondra Barrett, PhD, a biochemist, first used the microscope to photograph human cells while developing diagnostic tools for human leukemias when on the faculty at UCSF Medical School. However, an exhibit of brain chemicals photographed with a microscope enticed her to explore the artistic beauty of molecules. Soon she began photographing chemicals of life – vitamins, minerals, and hormones – to teach science with art and give “inner space” slide shows to children with cancer.

Applying for Sterling Vineyards’ artist-in-residence program, she photographed her first wine – a 1978 Sterling merlot.  When the winemaker said the ‘picture looked like the wine tasted’ she became intrigued with the many possibilities of the inner world of wine. Working with winemakers and looking at Napa Valley wines she began documenting winemaking from the inside out uncovering distinct shapes and patterns that wine maestro Andre Tchelistcheff called ‘the jewels in wine.’

She has photographed thousands of wines, worked as a harvest intern and released her first book Wine’s Hidden Beauty. Sondra’s compelling photographic portraits visually capture moments in time of the personality, character and expression of a wine’s exciting life stor

(The pictures above are more of her amazing photographs of our Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon)

Please visit us at the hope & grace tasting salon at 6540 Washington St, Yountville, Napa Valley to see the exhibit and explore this new world….