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Wine bottle sizes have an intriguing naming tradition, drawing inspiration from biblical kings! This naming convention is one of many aspects of wine culture that ties us back to history. Wine has been an integral part of our heritage and daily life for centuries, so it makes sense that bottle sizes would be named after figures from our earliest written records.
The origins of this practice are uncertain, and no one knows exactly how it began. We could always “investigate” by working our way through a six-liter (also known as “imperial”) bottle—who knows what we might uncover!

Wine Bottles Sizing Chart
Capacity | Name | Description | Amount of glasses |
187.5ml | Split | Usually for single glasses of Champagne (referred to as Piccolo in Italian) | 1 |
375ml | Half | It holds half a standard-size bottle (referred to as ‘Demi’ in France) | 2 |
750ml | Standard | Universal bottle size for most wines around the World | 5 |
1.5L | Magnum | Double the standard bottle | 10 |
3.0L | Double Magnum/Jeroboam | Two Magnums or four standard bottles | 20 |
4.5L | Rehoboam | Six standard bottles | 30 |
6.0L | Imperial | Eight standard bottles or two Double Magnums | 40 |
9.0L | Salmanazar | Twelve standard bottles | 60 |
12.0L | Balthazar | Sixteen standard bottles or two Imperials | 80 |
15.0L | Nebuchadnezzar | Twenty standard bottles | 100 |
Origins of Wine Bottle Size Names
Traditional different-sized bottles have been named after Biblical kings and historical figures, as shown below:
Jeroboam | First King of The Kingdom |
Salmanazar | Assyrian King |
Balthazar | One of The Wise Men |
Nebuchadnezzar | King of Babylon |