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Brian Pasch Expert Wine Reviews

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Big Bottle Dilemma

I'm often asked if people should invest in large format bottles; my response depends on the type of collector, their budget and whether they like to share their wine with others.

The bottle shown on the upper right corner is a 6 Liter bottle which is the equivalent of 8 normal sized bottles of wine. (8 x 750 ml = 6 Liters). Straw Anyone?

Purchasing a large format bottle of wine that has received a good "score" from the wine press can be very costly. Great wines in large format bottles (3L and 6L) have a premium attached to the price so the price is often more than multiplying the single bottle price. This premium can range from 10% to 40% which makes the cost of large format bottles a practical matter to consider. Is the wine that valuable for you?

Sadly, I have opened a few 3L and 6L bottles that were corked. After years in my cellar I had unknowingly invested in a large bottle of spoiled wine; eight bottles gone bad in one shot for a 6L bottle. On these nights I hate that I purchase large format bottles.

On the other hand I have opened large format bottles that have been spectacular and worth the premium! Sometimes it can be a coin toss of how the hand of fate touches your wine collection.

Large bottles are often displayed in wine cellars as trophies of collecting success. So purchasing large format bottles has an element of ego attached to the sale. However, experts agree that wine ages longer and more gracefully in large format bottles so when accused of being an egotistical wine collector you have a proper rebuttal.

For most people I would recommend the magnum size bottle (1.5 Liters) which is the equivalent of two normal bottles of wine. The average collector should have a majority of their wine in normal 750 ml formats with maybe 5-10% of their wine in half bottles and magnums.

Anything over a magnum will require a group of wine drinkers to be present. If you entertain large groups of friends, a 3L bottle is a nice twist to add focus to the wine your are sharing.

Experience has shown that you should limit your purchases of bottles larger than 3L because purchasing a highly collectible wine will in the end mean you want to share an expensive bottle with 10+ people. If you don't have that many friends then that would be another good reason to stick with magnums!

My personal favorite is the 3L format...and when you visit my wine cellar you will see that I try to purchase 3 Liters from all corners of the wine world. The most reasonable 3L formats are from Italy so you will see an abundance of Brunello di Montalcino large formats in my cellar. Next time you visit, let's see if we have enough people to open a big one! If the numbers don't work out, I still have a few 750 ml's to share!

Brian Pasch - August 18, 2006