Half bottles are often convenient: if you’re dining alone, or want to drink a couple of different wines over dinner with the spouse, they can be great. Likewise, for enjoying some wines at reasonable maturity a bit earlier than in 750 or 1,500 ml formats.
On the other hand, a recent thread on Trimbach CFE threw up evidence that this wine in halves may age faster than expected or oxidize suddenly. I’ve read Dujac’s Jacques Seysses write that he no longer bottles in halves (at least his good wines), because he’s received too many complaints about the wines thus packaged going off.
What are Berserkers’ preferences with respect to half bottles?
I would like to own more 1/2 bottles.
We are drinking right now a 2010 B. Defaix Chablis Lechet before dinner.
A full bottle before our red tonight 99 Aldo Conterno Bussia would be too much.
Pros: Age faster, more convenient size for weekday drinking.
Cons: Scarcity, cost per oz. You tend to get boned buying 375s at retail, and they seem to be of extremely limited availability/producers
Halves would work a lot better for me but i have noticed that i am not finding or they dont make the ones i want and the others seem to cost more anyways. Which is weird because .375 costs more per ounce than the .750 but also the 1.5 cost more per ounce than the .750
I have some 375s, but I haven’t bought any recently. I now use re-usable glass 375 bottles with a screw cap. So, I open a 750 and pour into 2 375s. Some for now and some for later. Too many times I have had 375s that just didn’t taste as good as the 750. The second 375 can hold for quite some time. Ymmv.
Economies of scale. The industry is built around 750ml bottles, so no special equipment, handling, boxes are needed to bottle in this size. Magnums and halves require something different, and unless produced in similar quantity will cost more to deliver, ounce for ounce of wine.
We do this regularly, too, I’ve started to adopt a modified regime with magnums (for which I have an irrational fondness), cascading down through 750 and 375 screwcaps. The screwcaps allow you to ‘rebottle’ with no headspace, so the wine keeps better - a trick I gleaned from Rieslingfan.
Yup. If I see half bottles of anything remotely decent for a good price, I back up the truck. Normally they are cost prohibitive and scarce. It’s nice to have a half bottle option for many occasions.
Love halfs. The convenience, the variety, the ease of use. Only problem is they tend to be more expensive than 750ml bottles and the number of producers using them is scant. But I will buy if offered at a good price. Another size I’d like to see more of is the 500ml, which I think is ideal.
Ok. So I own some swing top bottles. .375 and .500. I use them for my lemon cello I make.
If I open a .750 and drink half and pour the other half into the .375. How long will the .375 last? In the refrigerator or wine fridge or just back to my passive basement “non cellar” cellar
Just trying to see if this trick is an extension of wine life by a few days weeks or what
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