An imperial of Château d’Yquem 1996 was the star of the show as members celebrated the festive season at 67 Pall Mall last month. Diners at the upmarket London wine club also enjoyed an 18-litre melchior of Blandy’s Madeira, while others polished off various magnums and double magnums.
Similar scenes were playing out at Oswald’s, another exclusive wine club located in the heart of Mayfair. The venue, whose members include Prince William, Boris Johnson, the Blairs and the Beckhams, only pours its house wines from magnums.
These scenes confirmed what we’ve known all along: size really does matter. That was painfully evident during the recent Olympic Games in Paris, when a certain appendage prevented French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati from clinching a coveted medal. He may have missed out on the gold, but that moment turned him into a viral sensation.
The wine trade also had its own viral sensation last year, as La Vieille Ferme – the so-called Chicken wine – took TikTok and Instagram by storm. Sainsbury’s reported 96% year-on-year sales growth of the popular French rosé from Famille Perin. The supermarket capitalised upon its popularity by rolling out magnums of the chicken wine – and shoppers rushed to their local stores to snap it up.
From chic clubs to supermarkets, large wine formats are going from strength to strength. But what makes them so special, and why are they more sought after than ever?
The benefits of large wine formats
Large format bottles start with the magnum, holding 1.5 litres of wine – the equivalent of two standard 75cl bottles. You can then splash out on a three-litre double magnum, a five-litre Bordeaux jeroboam or a six-litre imperial. As the bottles grow larger, the biblical names become even more impressive: a nine-litre salmanazar, a 12-litre balthazar, a 15-litre nebuchadnezzar, or perhaps you might care for an 18-litre melchior?
These large bottles are show-stoppers. They’re visually striking, they command attention, they start conversations, and they create a sense of occasion. Yet beyond their aesthetic appeal, they also offer some distinct benefits:
- Slower ageing: Wine ages at a slower, more gradual pace in larger bottles, due to a lower ratio of oxygen to wine, explains Paul Richards, the global head of wine and spirits purchasing at 67 Pall Mall. The wines age in a more controlled fashion, which can lead to greater balance, complexity and longevity.
- Preservation: Larger bottles have thicker glass, which can provide better protection against light and temperature fluctuations, further preserving the wine’s quality. This can reduce the risk of premature oxidation, and it may make them a more stable option for long-term storage.
- Sharing: These wines are perfect for sharing with a larger group, allowing everyone to enjoy the same bottle.
- Environmental considerations: Despite the thicker glass, large bottles can reduce packaging waste per litre of wine, which may appeal to environmentally conscious drinkers.
- Rarity: While they are growing in popularity, large wine formats remain relatively rare. Collectors prize them for this rarity, along with the sense of grandeur they bring to any occasion.
Credit: Sergio Pazzano / iStock / Getty Images Plus
The theatrical appeal of large bottles
Richards at 67 Pall Mall notes that large formats come with ‘certain bragging rights’ for wine lovers. Aside from the practical advantages – more graceful ageing and thicker glass – he says that ‘their limited production adds a further element of desirability among collectors, a cachet which is mirrored by the sense of theatre that large formats bring to service’.
67 Pall Mall uses a VCanter machine to pour wines from larger formats. This machine can hold bottles ranging from six litres to 27 litres, and the sommelier uses a hand crank to pour.
The club also uses a Coravin, which allows it to offer special wines by the glass from large bottles. ‘We’ve served some pretty special large-format bottles by the glass over the years – magnums of Château Latour 1961, double magnums of Sir Winston Churchill Brut 1988, and even an imperial of Ridge Monte Bello 2005,’ says Richards.
Federico Moccia, head sommelier at 67 Pall Mall, adds: ‘There is a certain prestige and one-off element to such wines that really appeals to our members. While they contribute from a revenue perspective, we are also hugely passionate about the experience itself. Why not make it part of the show, celebrating a big format around the club, where people love to take pictures and capture those special moments?
‘It doesn’t just have to be about the big names, either. While we love our classics, be they Super Tuscans, Barolos or Bordeaux, we also love exploring unique areas of the world. We recently had a large format of Domaine Sigalas’ Kavalieros from Santorini, as well as a five-litre bottle of the even more unorthodox Magma Nerello Mascalese from Frank Cornelissen in Etna. It’s all about sharing special moments, knowledge and the uniqueness of particular wines.’
Investment opportunities
For investors, large bottles represent more than a mere spectacle. Peter Shakeshaft, founder and chairman of wine investment platform Vin-X, breaks down their financial appeal.
‘Generally, larger bottles of investment wine are rarer and deliver enhanced returns. Three magnums of Petrus 1995 traded for £17,200 in July 2024, delivering a 16.5% premium compared to their standard 75cl equivalents.’
Shakeshaft highlights a prime opportunity for collectors. ‘Given the current market conditions, larger formats are much more affordable. Bordeaux 2023 offers investors the chance to prescribe the format they want with some wines.’
Auction highlights: Rare finds and record sales
Large format wines have also made waves in the auction world. Last month, two rare magnums sourced from Henri Jayer shattered pre-sale estimates at an auction in Switzerland. A 1978 Richebourg magnum sold for CHF 109,800 (£98,000).
Looking ahead, an upcoming auction from Dreweatts offers collectors another chance to acquire some rare large formats on Tuesday 28 January.
Highlights include imperials of Château Latour 2003, Château Palmer 2009, Château Mouton Rothschild 2012 and Château Lynch-Bages 2016, as well as double magnums of Château Figeac 2005, Château Pavie 2009, Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2009 and Château Margaux 2010, plus various magnums.
Mark Robertson, senior wine consultant at Dreweatts, describes the sale as ‘a hallucination of some of the greatest Bordeaux made over the last 20 years’. ‘Good things don’t always come in small packages,’ he says. ‘Wines bottled in large format invoke romance, celebration and confidence. These wines mature gracefully and are the finest ambassadors for their estates.’
A note of caution
Despite their myriad advantages, large wine formats are not without risks. For example, any bottle larger than a magnum will be closed with a cork. ‘Given the incidence of cork taint, the bigger the bottle, the bigger the disappointment,’ writes Cam Douglas MS on his blog.
Yet there’s no denying the appeal of these formats. Whether you’re investing in a magnum of Petrus or sharing a jumbo bottle of rosé at a barbecue, these oversized bottles make a statement and help to elevate the experience.
