The standard size of a bottle of wine is 750 ml, which is equivalent to 75 cl. But why is this size so common in the wine industry? The answer to this question goes back to the history of wine and tradition, but above all to commercial reasons.

Wine storage in Roman times

In Roman times, wines were stored in amphoras that had a capacity of around 26 litres. It was when the Romans conquered France that they came across a region called Bordeaux, which produced high quality wines. To transport these wines, the Romans began to use oak barrels that had a capacity of around 900 liters.

Over time, the size of oak barrels decreased to around 225 litres, which became the standard size for wine barrels. This was largely due to the ease of handling of the smaller barrels.

The first bottles of wine

In the 18th century, the Burgundy region of France began using glass bottles to store and transport their wine. At that time, the capacity of the glass bottles was very variable, but it was around 500-700 ml.

The 75 cl bottle of wine. comes in the 19th century

The wine bottle as we know it today, with its 750 ml or 75 cl capacity, was developed in the Bordeaux region in the mid-19th century. This 750ml capacity became the standard in the wine industry many people think for these reasons:

- It is believed that the 750 ml capacity was the perfect amount for a dinner for four people. In this way, a bottle of wine would be enough to accompany a complete dinner without leaving leftovers or lacking wine.
- The 750 ml capacity was also considered ideal for bottle aging wine. A 750 ml bottle of wine is large enough to allow the wine to age properly, but not so large that the wine spoils before it is consumed.
- Because of the lung capacity of the glassmakers who made the bottles.

In reality it was simply a practical size for the wine trade:

The 750 ml capacity was also chosen for economic and production reasons. It is an easy size to fill and label on the production line, making it efficient and profitable for winemakers.

In addition, in the 19th century the main clients of French wine producers were the English. But they never adopted the same measurement system as the French, rather the English unit of volume was the "imperial gallon" which was equivalent to 4.54609 liters.

To simplify the conversion accounts, they transported wine from Bordeaux to England in 225-litre barrels, which was exactly 50 gallons, corresponding to 300 750ml bottles. (75 centiliters).

The calculation being easier, they adopted that a barrel = 50 gallons = 300 bottles.

In this way, a gallon corresponded to 6 bottles.

In fact, that is why even today the boxes of wine usually have 6 or 12 bottles.

In conclusion, the standard capacity of a 750 ml or 75 cl bottle of wine goes back to the history and tradition of wine but above all to economic and commercial reasons. The capacity was considered ideal for a dinner for four people, the aging of the wine in the bottle and the efficiency in the production. Therefore, it is the preferred size in the wine industry and has become the standard for most wine bottles around the world.