Magnums (1,5l)

A magnum holds 1,5l, the same as two standard bottles, and pours about twelve glasses. The reason collectors like it is not the size alone. The neck and the pocket of air under the cork are not much larger than in a 0,75l bottle, but there is twice as much wine beneath them, so a magnum ages more slowly. Opened side by side, a magnum and a bottle of the same wine and year will often show the magnum as the younger of the two.

Bordeaux and Burgundy make up the largest share of the magnums here, followed by Champagne and the Rhône, with smaller numbers from Piedmont and Tuscany. Champagne deserves a word of its own: in a magnum it goes through its second fermentation in that same bottle, so the wine has spent its whole life in the bottle you pour from.

The further back you go, the fewer there are. Magnums were always a small part of what a property bottled. From the 1940s and 1950s they are rare; from the 1980s on the choice widens. A 1982 Bordeaux, a 1985 or 1990 Burgundy, a 1996 Champagne: in strong years like these the format gives a long-lived wine even more room. Anything from before 1990 is sold as a collectible item, without a guarantee of drinkability, though a well-kept old magnum is often in better shape than a standard bottle of the same age.

For a birthday or an anniversary with a full table, a magnum means everyone drinks from the year being celebrated. A 50th birthday in 2026 points to 1976, a 60th to 1966, and a golden wedding to 1976 as well. Old red magnums carry a good deal of sediment, so stand the bottle upright for a day or two before opening, then pour slowly or decant. Every bottle is checked by hand before it ships and arrives in 7 to 10 working days, tracked. The list can be narrowed by year, region and price.