What is the difference between a magnum and a jeroboam?

If wine bottle sizes seem confusing, that's because they genuinely are. The naming convention differs between Bordeaux and Champagne, which creates endless mix-ups.

The magnum is simple: 1.5 litres everywhere, equivalent to two standard bottles. No regional variations, no confusion. It's the most popular large format and widely considered the best size for ageing wine.

The jeroboam is where things get messy. In Bordeaux (and for most still wines), a jeroboam is 3 litres — four standard bottles. In Champagne, a jeroboam is 4.5 litres — six standard bottles. The 3-litre size in Champagne? That's called a 'double magnum.' Why the difference? Historical tradition, and nobody ever bothered to standardise.

Beyond the jeroboam, the names come from biblical kings and rulers: Methuselah (6L), Salmanazar (9L), Balthazar (12L), and Nebuchadnezzar (15L). Champagne goes even further with the Solomon (18L) and Melchizedek (30L — that's 40 standard bottles in one enormous package).

From a wine-ageing perspective, bigger really is better. The larger the bottle, the smaller the cork-to-wine ratio, meaning less oxygen gets in relative to the volume of wine. The result: slower, more graceful ageing. A wine in magnum will typically outlive the same wine in a standard bottle by 20-30%.

Practical note: these are big, heavy bottles. A full jeroboam weighs about 5 kg, a Methuselah around 9 kg. Pour with both hands, and consider using a pouring cradle for anything above jeroboam size.