The Real Reason Big Bottles Of Wine Are So Popular

Oversized bottles of wine aren't just for holiday festivities and bachelorette parties anymore. According to the Rob Report, wine connoisseurs and novice enthusiasts are snapping up magnum bottles of vino that are increasingly available from small and large vintners as they gain in popularity. The big wine trend is driven by a few key factors, and there's some science behind why size matters.

Choosing a big bottle of wine used to indicate that a consumer was going for quantity over quality, but experts have discovered that wine in magnum bottles actually ages more gracefully and can be kept in a collection for longer. This is because the volume of wine in a larger bottle is more than the traditional 750 ml and is exposed to less air. Less air in the bottle means that the wine oxidizes slowly, allowing for better flavor development and longer shelf life.

Wineries often reserve special vintages for large bottles and produce a limited amount of magnums per season. The rarity of bigger bottles of wine piqued the interest of wine collectors who have been buying larger bottles at auction and don't mind the higher price tags as they will keep better for longer. Consumers are beginning to see novelty-sized wine as less of a gimmick and more of an investment.

Aside from the fact that large bottles of wine age at half the speed of a traditional-sized bottle (via Vine Pair), collectors, enthusiasts, and restaurateurs alike are finding that bigger is better for many reasons. As demand increases, vintners have started producing higher quantities of large bottles, making them more affordable and approachable to consumers.

Wine producers are bottling wines, like rosés that usually have a short shelf life, in larger bottles as their quality will be maintained with less exposure to oxygen. The thicker, darker glass of a magnum bottle also lengthens the shelf life and makes it more cost-effective for a vintner to fill larger bottles and offer them at a reasonable price than unloading smaller bottles with fast-approaching best by dates.

Restaurant patrons who plan to enjoy a couple bottles of wine with dinner might benefit from ordering a magnum instead of multiple 750 ml bottles. According to Magnums & More, restaurants have started using new wine-saving tech to use larger bottles of wine over time. This allows access to rare vintages without compromising the quality of the wine or breaking the bank when the bill arrives. Large bottles of wine offer higher quality rare vintages that last longer, making it okay to go big.