Does SIZE Matter? Blind Tasting Champagne from Mini to Double-Magnum Bottle.
Вставка
- Опубліковано 8 кві 2023
- Does the size of the bottle change the flavor of wine? I needed to know and therefore blind-tasted the same Champagne from five bottles, ranging from the 200ml to the 3,000ml format.
Support me on my PATREON: / konstantinbaum
Follow me on ...:
/ konstantinbaum_mw
Check out my website:
baumselection.com/
I use this wine key: Laguiole en Aubrac Wine Key Ebony
I have used this glass in this Video: RIEDEL Veritas Champagne
I have tasted the following wines in this Video:
NV Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial (0.2l, 0.375l, 0.75l, 1,5l, 3l):
www.wine-searcher.com/find/mo...
The 100 Point Scoring System (from www.robertparker.com):
96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.
90 - 95: An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.
80 - 89: A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.
70 - 79: An average wine with little distinction except that it is soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.
60 - 69: A below-average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.
50 - 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.
Bottles are more important than people might think. Without the glass bottle, wine would have never developed the way it did. Before glass-making techniques advanced to the point that glass bottles could be produced in bulk wines were generally transported and stored in barrels, amphoras, and skins.
Only when the bottle was introduced at a larger scale could wine develop slowly in a glass bottle without going bad. One wine style that did not exist before the bottle was sparkling wine. The point of sparkling wine is … well, that it sparkles and the CO2 would escape in all other vessels but the inert bottle.
For Champagne and wines made in a similar way, the bottle is even more important as the bottle also serves as the fermentation vessel for the second fermentation, the one that turns a simple sour and light base wine into sparkling wine. Champagne bottles, therefore, need to be thicker and stronger to withstand the pressure in the bottle, which can be way higher than the pressure of a tire for example.
Sparkling wines also have deeper punts as this is a way to make the bottle stronger as you increase the surface area of the glass. The Champagneois do love their bottles and they come in all shapes and sizes and they were very creative when it comes to naming their bottles. Most people know the half bottle, Standard bottle, and Magnum but for Champagne, the Quarter bottle, containing 20cl, is also widely used.
The bigger bottles carry names like Jeroboam, Balthazar, and Salomon, taken from the bible. Some of them were kings but it is not true for all of them as some sources suggest and no one really knows why these names were picked. There are a lot of discussions when it comes to the ideal bottle size. Most producers and experts agree that the same Champagne fermented and aged in different bottle sizes tastes different. This is mainly explained by the fact that larger-volume bottles contain a smaller volume of oxygen and have a smaller exposure to oxygen during disgorgement relative to their size.
On top of that it has been found that the amount of oxygen included in the cork - for example identical for a normal bottle and a magnum- has less impact on the wine for larger bottle sizes. You can also add that external factors such as light and temperature have less impact on a large format bottle than a smaller one and that the fermentation in larger bottles generally takes longer and produces more complex wines.
Most Champagne producers seem to recommend Magnum bottles over smaller formats BUT do they just want to sell more Champagne or is this good advice?
I have 5 bottles of the same Champagne here: the Quarter, the half bottle the standard bottle, the Magnum, and the 3 Liter Jeroboam and I am going to blind taste them to find out which one I prefer.
To me the main reason for differences in super large bottles is actually, that the standard and magnum bottles are closed automatically while the super large ones are often closed by hand. Makes a big difference while disgorging.
Often, winemakers carefully select their best (but sometimes in case of Bordeaux most tannic) wines for the biggest bottles, because they represent something and are often stored for longer.
Fantastic Konstantin! Message is clear. Now I can convince my wife that I should buy the 3L bottle instead of my usual half bottle.
I don’t even care for wines or champagne but somehow find myself spending hours watching you talk about them and almost wish I liked it more.
As a wine rep I won a Nebuchadnezzer of Piper Heidseick. I opened it at my wedding for 120 people. My friend Mat Dinsmore, sabered the bottle for us. We left the bottle standing on the bar and poured glasses using a clear silicone hose. We did not finish the bottle…. Keeping in mind there was 120 of us. I love large format bottles.
15 liters for 120 people is not that much (125ml per person). I assume not everyone could drink champagne?
@@sonarsphere There were kids in the crowd. Plus we had some other choice wines from my portfolio. I know each guest had a 2-3oz pour for the toast. Then I did my best to finish it. We were gifted 3 bottles of Piper Heidseick rare 1988 for the big day, so it was tough to ignore those...
Nebuchadnezzar should feed 30 people. must've been a lame party 😂 I jest of course. grats on winning and marriage.
@@sonarsphere *ml (Metric) rules: Fuck Oz, Gallon and LBS (Lot of Bullshit)*
Congrats on your Utah wedding! (lol)😉
Great vid as always mate! Keep em coming!
Awesome video. Agree with your observations on bottle size
People will not like my comment. However, I think there is a market for six packs of small wine bottles. Young people are not consuming as much wine as past generations. This is in part due to health concerns. A small indulgence in a small bottle of wine on an occasion with a good friend or companion is likely going to be more desired than opening a full standard bottle that needs to be finished soon after opening.
I like your comment! I wish there were a larger selection of quality wine in half bottles.
That's why products like the coravin exist and have become increasingly popular over the last few years.
Ive seen that with 200ml pinot grigio bottles, wish it was a thing for other brands as well.
This is basically why I have a bajillion bottles of wine in my home. I have a Wine membership but rarely want to open a 75cl bottle of wine to drink, as that commits me to drinking wine for the next four days.
Coravin is a good shout though
I don't totally agree. An alcoholic beverage is meant to be drank with a company. You need to experience and enjoy your beverage with another somebody. Sharing memories with you, your friends and a nice bottle. That's where it's about
Great video, glad to see a true professional back up my personal experience. Was never blind, but the most noteworthy experience with this for me was with Pol Roger Champagne. I worked for a retailer in Switzerland that had this as their "house" champagne, so we regularly had the 75cl bottle open for tasting. On Christmas I would regularly have the 150cl and sometimes the 300cl bottle and they were always clearly superior. Somehow creamier with much more distinctive autolytic notes and finer pérlage.
Gotta love big format wines!
Outstanding commentary.
Blessings from nz, Simon in Hawkes Bay ♡
Did you check the disgorgement codes on each bottle? Bottle ageing of champagne can make a lot of difference.
Spot on sir!
How we can check it ?
@@user-eh6hb8eh6t Google champagne codes - plenty of advice.
Yup, was waiting for this. Unfortunately Moet doesn't include disgorgement date on the bottles, unlike more 'artisanal' producers.
My thoughts as well....
This was truly a fantastic video, great experiment. I wonder if you could take this to the next level and do this with vintage champagne to see if the results are the same. In any event, keep up the good work Konstantin!
Love the Review was always curious as to what results would be 🥂
Very interesting learning experience! Thanks for exploring the issues that we often wonder about. The only question would be if they came from the same batch, or in a similar disgorgement time frame.
great video, comepletely agree with your thoughts. Was fortunate enpugh to taste Bollinger RD 2008 out of 3 different formats; 75cl was very developed, magnum was perfect and 3L was very tight and saline (needs a few more years).
Huh very interesting - thanks for this 🙏
I’m quite sure that there would be a difference by capacity. However there are bottle variations and even non vintage champagnes have different degorgement dates, so those factors might have matter too. I tried two same bottles of non vintage champagne from the same case in a row and they were quite different in aroma intensity and richness in palate. One was quite better than the other one. Thanks for always introducing an interesting video and cheers! 🍾
Interesting! Also, not unexpected. 👍
Happy Easter 🌷
This was a great test, so interesting. One of the hardest things to do when making alcohol is consistency. Shows even great producers can have slight differences.
Thank you! Always wondered. Now I know😊
I go to the Chandon winery in Napa every month and belong to the wine club there next time Im going to taste test the difference in sized bottles also, great video
Another excellent review! Ah Konstantin, what do you in-fact do with all of the bottles that you open in your many tastings? Your friend circle must be growing!
Very interesting Kostantin. I wonder if this effect is consistent across different producers and different quality
Would love to see another review of your viewers favorite wines! My go to for you to try would be Michael David Petit Petit. In terms of value its easily my favorite wine! Love your videos thanks for all the great content!
Nce video again,Konstantin.I have read that is best to age champagne wine in larger size bottles based on the ratio of wine per bottle surface.Cheers.
Would be interesting to do this same comparison with all aged wine, as it would then be clear how the larger formats are fresher and showing less age
Love this idea
Great Video! would have been interesting to have used a vintage champagne to ensure the time spent in bottle was consistent
I have in front of me two 'quarter bottles' - both same size bottles, one a Lanson 20cl - the other a Tattinger 187.5ml according to Drinkstuff could also be called a Piccolo, Pony, Snipe or Split. As noted 187.5ml is exactly a quarter of a 750ml bot. Great video!
Wow, great video, I thought that for sure there would be no difference, illuminating! My dad buys nice Bordeaux by the magnum so he doesn't get tempted to open it until a special occasion.
What’s your dad’s profession? ua-cam.com/video/GoNtfdFwZkQ/v-deo.html
Great video and idea KB! Although I’m yet to taste an ‘extraordinary’ bottle of MC champagne ha ha ha
I have no experience with different bottle sizes and this tasting was very interesting.
My best guess at why it's called a 1/4 bottle is because the bottle is 200mL and approximately 1/4 of a 750mL bottle. It could also be because one bottle is typically 4 servings, and the bottle it considered 1 (heftier) serving?
Happy Easter!
ua-cam.com/video/GoNtfdFwZkQ/v-deo.html
Great tasting! This reinforces my experience. Please do the same size test with a red (preferably cabernet or Left Bank Bordeaux) wine!
A clever idea to make the content of this video. Did I miss you mention the year/s?
Many thanks for the great video! Can we rule out differences in the base wines? I understand that most Champagnes like Moet are comprised of differente vintages by default in order to ensure similar taste across years. However, the composition of different vintages might still lead to differences when compared 1:1 - i.e. the super large bottle might be filled with a different mix of vintages and threfore have a different taste. Love your channel!
Nice video! You can make some champagne vinegar which can be stored for a very long time. Amazing stuff
thank you for this vid
We’ll be right over with some friends. Always a fan of mushrooms or truffles with champagne. Toasts with foie gras are always a good option
What a good concept for a video. It's a great quiz question to know where your Balthazar comes in the line of things - and I think the names are different for still wines?
Konstantin, always have people on hand to help drink up leftovers, I find it really to finish "spare" wine this way!
So much diversity. Love this in depth tasting. Feminine/yin is definitely a good descriptor 🎉
Great video, and what a cool idea for a tasting. I've never heard of a "quarter bottle"- here in the US we have small bottles called a "split" that holds 187mL. So very similar. I am not 100% sure, but I thought that the standard in Champagne is for secondary fermentation to happen in half bottles, standard bottles, and magnums. Splits (or quarter bottles) and anything larger than a magnum were filled up after secondary fermentation. So it makes sense that the smallest bottle actually outperformed the half. The 3L coming out first was a surprise! Perhaps something to do with the bottle aging? Do you know how long ago these were disgorged?
That's quarter bottle! It's 1/4 of 750ml
Amazing video! I have an out of topic question: what glasses do you use for this tasting? 🥂 Cheers!
Hi Konstantin,
Super interesting video! I have always wondered whether there’s a difference in quality between different bottle formats of the same wine and vintage. It makes sense to me that particularly for champagne, substantial differences can exist, if they are indeed fermented in the different bottle sizes. But I wonder whether the same quality gaps would exist for regular white or red wines? I like to buy half bottles of Bordeaux for example, since that normally means they’re approachable more quickly. But I have had the feeling in the past that those weren’t quite as good as the regular bottle of the same vintage.
Perhaps you can do a follow-up video about this?
Would be cool!
Thx,
Florens
Very interesting indeed
Interesting! Though I’d wager the differences have more to do with other factors than bottle size in this mass produced N.V. wine. If I plan to serve champagne to many people I’ll make sure to get the big bottles though!
Most small producers do a very limited number of Jeroboams. Being so they are always done by hand, riddled, disgorged etc. I have no idea if that makes a difference. I see Jeroboams of Vintage M&C in their Epernay cellars but all Imperial Brut as far as I know is done at Mont Aigu. A good question to ask next time there. Glad you posted this video, I've always been curious if it is true or myth that Magnums are better than standard bottles.
very nice
Interesting tasting! I thought the magnum would win the day since that's what the experts choose. Family and friends always love the magnum and the non-oenophiles think it's such a huge bottle. I guess I will have to get a Jeroboam of Champagne to knock some socks off with size and taste. 🙂
Good one! Can you please do the same tasting with the regional bourgogne pinot noir or Cotes du Rhone Rouge?
Do you know if the bottles were disgorge around the same time? I would guess that age would be more of a factor than the bottle size.
This is interesting, but is it a controlled experiment? They're all NVs, but disgorgement dates may differ, and I would imagine that magnums and jeroboams stay on shelves longer, meaning they have older disgorgement dates and develop more tertiary characteristics.
Fascinating tasting, enjoy what's left sir 😂
would like to see you try, chateau de la grille from chinon
Very cool. Do you know if the winery tastes the wine from the magnums before putting the wines in the large format? Maybe if they do they select the better ones? Great video.
Check out French Cooking Academy for his roasted chicken with morell and champagne based sauce! That should be a great way to use some of it. Champagne vinegar is great for pickling, especially mustard seeds
funny enough i was having dilemma this evening and then boom this pops up
I’ve NEVER wondered this! 😉( about champagne)
Very interesting, fun vid. I'm curious to see whether the ageing length of the champagne in the bottle played any part in this, maybe the 3L was a bit older. A fun follow-up might be to taste bottles of Moët produced between 2010 en 2020, to see how a non-vintage, mass-produced, designed to be consistent over time champagne like this one develops over the years. Is their product even that consistent year by year? And what actually is the peak drinking-age for these 'regular' types of champagne and how can I find out how 'old' they are if they don't have a vintage? Thx keep it up!
Damn, Konstantin must lift 💪🏻 You handled the biggest bottle with ease LOL 🫡
Very interesting tasting. But since they are so close of one another, you would need to do this with e.g. five specimens of each size to be able to distinguish between impact of bottle size and normal production variations.
Very interesting video, thank you. One question though, do you have any idea of the disgorgement dates of the bottles?
It would indeed be great to know if these were all disgorged in the same year or not
Great idea. Please, do the same with other whites and reds wines :-)
I think a big thing you missed out on why you want a bigger bottle of wine is that everyone at the table is guaranteed the same tasting experience, this obviously only goes for bigger parties, but it still stands. Also would have liked you using a proper vintaged wine from a singular vineyard compared to Moet who mixes from a very wide variety of fields.
In France, when you order a small bottle of water you can say "un quart Vittel" for example, maybe that expression migrated from water to champagne bottles?
I am a great fan of Moët, what would help would be a decipherable release date. That would make the test even more fair. I bought 2 bottles over Christmas and although the wines were remarkably similar the labels were quite different, this set me in the hunt for release dates which I neve4 resolved.
My experience with big bottels is good. They are always very exciting. However, I also believe that there is great potential in small bottles, in addition to being easier to finish. They can also make the wine develop faster 🤩
Hey Konstantin, I'm very curious what do you do with the bottles that you have left over after tastings like these? There's only so much you and your wife can drink surely!! Love your videos
When going back to 5:49 when I look at you pour, I think you mixed up the quarter and half, because I'm positive you were holding the half bottle and then showed us the empty glass for half bottle (H) so it means you poured it to the quarter glass (Q). That means that the quarter bottle would have the least CO2 and that kind of aligns with the the few rare experiences I had with 200 ml bottles (usually other styles of sparkling wine like Prosecco, Sekt or Cava, not Champagne though), that the wine felt less sparkling than I would expect it to, although I didn't do a side-by-side comparison like you did. Anyhow - very interesting tasting here.
Konstantin, I am quite surprised you didn't dive into the impact of transversage? Moet use transversage so that small format and very large format undergoes 2nd fermentation in the standard bottle, so it is normal to see the quality drops, especially considering the amount of bubbles. In contrast, Pommary does 2nd fermentation in large format up to Methuselah (or more) so there is no oxidation and loss of gas by transversage, it would be a better choice for comparison
Take it to a local sports club or day and everyone can celebrate or commiserate
Wine is a social thing :)
🙌
I always noticed it. Smaller bottles like in planes or some events were always harsh versus bigger bottles
Maybe use the left over champagne as an ingredient in a fruit “jam” or I like to make vinegars. As a bartender it can add a nice twist to many sweet cocktails recipes. Or just add some St.Germaine. My fav
I hear people always mentioning it has to do with the amount of oxygen in the bottle being distributed, but I'd guess the pressure from the weight, compressing more of the gas and liquid, and the resistance to quick temperature-change would have an effect too? It will pretty much stay more stable I guess.
Napkin physics: Most of the pressure comes from the carbonation itself (about 3-6 bar for sparkling wines). Compared to that, the effect of the pressure from the depth of liquid in a big bottle lying on its side (about 0.02 bar) would be small.
another factor is temperature variation -- in Moet cellar, in transport, in retailer, and in home cellar. Then glass/wine ratio is much higher in the smaller bottles, less in the larger, so the smaller the bottle, the quicker it changes to match exterior temperature. Perhaps more changes in temperature hurt smaller bottles, help larger bottles... though that does not explain the 1/4 bottle being better than the half bottole.
Just ring round a few local friends and get some nice music on and a bit of suitable food and let these bubbles add thier magic.. Hic! Happy Easter to all. 🍾🥂🎶👯🎶🌟👍
Love Champagne
The biggest bottle I’ve ever had opened is a Balthazar of Tignanello and it definitely was an experience. It was different than the average vintage, but I’m not sure I would say it was worlds apart. There’s also just the issue of a bottle that big being practical in ANY way. It was at a large event so it was largely for show more than effect.
ua-cam.com/video/GoNtfdFwZkQ/v-deo.html
I wish I lived nearby, after the recording of this video 😂
The remaining shall be shared among your followers 😂😂
Drink it, preferably with family and friends, but drink it. One other consideration--were all these bottles from the same lot? Producers have been reluctant to label their bottles with enough information to make a decision about when the disgorgement was done. Also a consideration for drinkers in the US, transportation and storage conditions can definitely effect the wine. There have been bottles I've had that were given high scores, but I found just OK. Was that because of storage conditions? Maybe. Others got middling scores, but impressed me. Thanks for the video.
Champagne sorbet! My wife got me an amazing ice cream maker for my birthday and one of my favourite things to make is champagne sorbet.
Recipe please!
@leonaroberts7989 250g golden caster sugar, 300ml champagne, 300ml water, 2 lemons. Put sugar and water in a pan, slowly bring to the boil while constantly stirring until the sugar dissolves. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Sit to cool. Once cool add champagne and lemon juice. Give a quick stir and then pour into the ice cream maker on sorbet setting.
We found Laurent Perrier rosé gives the best results. Dont be tempted to swap for prosecco or cava as it will be too sweet.
Enjoy!
Invite us all for a glass 😊
Excellent video! Please, I would love to see a video dedicated to portuguese wines 😊
You invite all your neighbors over for a champagne feast!!
Try Egyptian wine called Beausoleil d'egypte made from an Egyptian grape called Bannati .. i think this wine is sold in France
This tasting would be even more interesting with wines that have been aging in bottle for some time and have the same age. Cheers
Interesting.
I think in Austria we call the quater bottle Piccolo.
It would be nice to list the price differences, maybe using the standard bottle as the reference. I think there normally is no incentive to buy bigger bottles because they are more expensive and also wasteful if you don't finish one. But if the quality difference is significant then maybe it would be worth it to buy bigger bottles (and finish them).
great question, did you find out if the mini bottles are fermented in those bottles?!
I believe that half and quarter bottles are filled with standard after the 2nd fermentation.
Mmkay gonna go buy a Jeroboam of Moët, as one does.
As for what to do now, you mentioned bathing in it; set up a rainwater showerhead and pump the wine in!
Hi Konstantin, im a mexican sommelier, ill be travelling through Germany and their wine regions this summer, i Would like to see your recommendations on which cellar to visit, or the places i would learn more of german wine.
Alto Adige wine up next? please :)
Smaller sound out of a smaller bottle😄 that was good
Konstantin Baum, Master Of Wine & Comedian
“In Vino Veritas” ua-cam.com/video/GoNtfdFwZkQ/v-deo.html
Cook your excess champers in with scallops or mussels mmmm😊
Yes, mussels with white wine is a traditional recipe, why not use champagne? Good thinking!
@Konstantin Baum
I think there was a slight mistake made during the video. At 5:46 he pours the first cup from what seems to be the half-bottle into the first cup, but at 5:52 he picks up the cup with 'H' written beneath. But we see at 5:54 that the bottle used to pour the first cup is hidden at the back, which is the half bottle.
So the results are actually, smallest bottle is the worst, largest bottle is the best.
I have been considering to get my first ever Magnum for my PhD defense celebration at the end of the year. Clearly it's worth it!
Good for ya! ua-cam.com/video/GoNtfdFwZkQ/v-deo.html