I know I asked about 750's vs Mag's but other than quantity is there any risk in obtaining wine in this size bottle?
My next question, how is it stored if you cellar them? 750ml's can lie on the rack, Mag's have particular sized spots, how about 375ml's?

I jam them in wherever I can fit them. I LOVE 375's. No downside for me, other than slighly increased cost.

PH

LOL PH, you mean like jamming them in bins? They dont make specific racks right? I havent seen anything anyways, I am in the beginning stages of building a cellar thats why I ask.

They do. See this for an example.

Thanks WEc, I hadnt seen those racks, I was looking at custom styled racks but they didnt have examples of 1/2 bottles, will look into that, I wonder how I could incorporate it within the rest of the racks?

quote:

Originally posted by WEc:
They do. See this for an example.

I've seen a LOT of racks, and NEVER come across these. Interesting.

Actually, I tend to store mine in cases made specifically for .375's. If you keep your eyes open on the auction sites (wine commune, ebay, etc.) you'll find cases of this size going off occasionally. Even better when they still have their inserts and lids. Work great for storage. Just another option.

Cost is a bit higher, as someone pointed out, and the wine ages a bit faster in small bottles (maybe a plus). As for storing them, I just put them in boxes or wherever they fit -- the small bottles seem to be very sturdy.

Upsides to the .375's are that some varietals (desert wines, etc.) can be just too much for a couple of people. For many of these .750ml is like a magnum. Good for parties and a group.

Not much downside to these, but that at times you'll find it's 'just not enough of a good thing'.

Never figured out why wineries charge more than half price for 375's compared to 750's and more than double price for mags than 750's. Maybe just a novelty or more costly to put in a different format?

As RDCollins mentioned - they tend to age faster. This is because the amount of oxygen in the neck is about the same as in a 750 ML, but there is less liquid, so the oxygen-to-wine ratio is higher in a 375.

Also, sometimes the cork sits in 375s as if it had melded with the glass.

I love the 375's. I drink about 2 glasses a night so 1/2 bottles are perfect for the road. I have a Eurocave and storage is actually not bad, some wines are too big to fit well and the 1/2 bottles work well to offset the stranger sized bottles.

Downside to 375's, yeah, they only have half as much wine.

quote:

Originally posted by VT2IT:
Downside to 375's, yeah, they only have half as much wine.

Good point!

quote:

Originally posted by mpls wine guy:
Never figured out why wineries charge more than half price for 375's compared to 750's and more than double price for mags than 750's. Maybe just a novelty or more costly to put in a different format?

The corks, foil and labels are all the same price and the bottles are only slightly less, so there's no real cost savings for the winery on 375's. If your regular labels are too big, you have to pay for a second print run, usually an additional $200-$400.

The real culprit though is a switch over charge. It's $500 everytime you change formats on the bottling line, plus about 30 minutes of down time for the crew. Overall to stop the bottling line and go to 375's it's going to cost you about $600 If you run 50 cases through, that's $1 a bottle more. So there you go.

Magnums are mostly filled by hand and corked and labled by hand. They do cost more to bottle as well.

There you go again Paul, being all logical.

Now I know! thanks Stef!

I've actually had a few issues with half bottles lately,they taste completely differant then the 750's.The only thing i can think of is its a seperate bottleing facility.But we've opened several side by side and everybody thought they were differant wines,not saying this is common,but I problem I've had.

quote:

Originally posted by VT2IT:
Downside to 375's, yeah, they only have half as much wine.

This calls for some careful measurement. In my experience, a 375ml bottle has to contain less than half the contents of a normal bottle. I say this because my wife and I share a full bottle at dinner and it works out about right. If I have a 375ml bottle alone it comes up about a glass short.

quote:

Originally posted by pape du neuf:

quote:

Originally posted by VT2IT:
Downside to 375's, yeah, they only have half as much wine.

This calls for some careful measurement. In my experience, a 375ml bottle has to contain less than half the contents of a normal bottle. I say this because my wife and I share a full bottle at dinner and it works out about right. If I have a 375ml bottle alone it comes up about a glass short.

I'll believe it when you measure it.

quote:

Originally posted by pape du neuf:
This calls for some careful measurement. In my experience, a 375ml bottle has to contain less than half the contents of a normal bottle. I say this because my wife and I share a full bottle at dinner and it works out about right. If I have a 375ml bottle alone it comes up about a glass short.

LOL! Not sure if you're kidding or not. Sounds to me like you're getting more than your share when you share with your wife.