I am now retired, my wife can’t drink alcohol, and she is reassured by the sight of a mere half bottle on the table at dinner😇. I do still use a
vacuum pump for choice full bottles, but especially during COVID, ‘my wife and I’ like the discipline imposed by a half bottle.
Markus’ point is well taken - the mark-up on halves can be ridiculous.
In the UK, The Wine Society is the one sure source of halves of multiple low-end & decently-priced dry wines. Merchants have told me that there is no demand for halves in the UK, so they will submit EP orders for halves, but don’t what to carry any in stock. One tip for mature halves: Chateau Musar. I am now exploring the ‘halves’ button on WS - an amazing source.
I did the same.
Me too! I like half bottles for lots of different wines, but particularly Bordeaux, as it lets me try a lot of different wines to see what I like and definitely lets me stretch my dollars on the 1st growths and cheval blancs of the world.
I have some Monte Bello and champagne half bottles as well, and am generally happy to buy any really high end wine by the half bottle to stretch my dollars and drink a bit sooner. That said, Bordeaux tends to be the one half bottle I can find consistently.
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Really anything good which is available in that format.
As others have mentioned Krug, Sauternes, Port, Ridge Monte Bello, Maybach, other bubbles and sweeter wines (yes to Baumard QdC!)
I’ll add: Musar
edit: and Donnhof and other exceptionalGermans as well as Austrians
Bonner was selling Dominus 375, got to be nice
Screagle. Only have to land the helicopter halfway to get them.
Gonon
In all seriousness, I will follow this thread. These have become more frequent in my local wine store and local market since COVID hit. But, the pricing is 60-70% of a full bottle so I struggle with the economics of the purchase when a little willpower to just put a cord back in the bottle and set it back in the cellar would be just fine
For those that have these shipped in…how does the cost of shipping a case of halves or splits compare to full bottles?
Rhys Chardonnays, through their futures program. The Alpine and Horseshoe are terrific. Many of our better homecooked pandemic meals for two have been accompanied by one of these with a starter/salad followed by a Bordeaux/Barolo/Brunello with the main.
For the most part I purchase champagne splits because the rest of my family aren’t big champagne consumers so it’s incredibly convenient have a nice champagne in 375 to be able to give everyone a glass to toast on special occasions etc, but not have a lot left over.
The price of 375s relative to 750s is defiantly something that makes me struggle in buying most splits. For the most part I prefer just buying whole bottles and putting a cork in them for the next day if it hasn’t been fully consumed.
The idea of having 357s of Bordeaux to drink earlier is interesting. Not sure how much of a difference in ageing you’d have 15 years out with a Bordeaux split vs regular bottle. Would the split be that much more mature than the regular bottle that the format is worth it?
The split math can be seductive but misleading. I still have 88 and 90 Yquem in 750 because it was about 20% cheaper- but afterwards I realized than for most occasions a 375 is perfect and I’d much rather have 2x375 for one 750.
I use them for multicourse dinners. I find that they are perfect for four reasonable glasses so…start out with a split of Krug (also can find good Roederer and others), then a white like Domaine de Chevalier or Corton Charlemagne, then an old Bdx or burg (cellar still has 59 and 62 Latour halves, 70 Moutons were nice, and those crazy 1970 Lafleurs from K&L a while back), and of course sauternes for dessert. Also only way I would drink maybech materium or Spottswoode (have a vertical going) or some other high end wines. Cheese wines can also be found like old Ridge or Rhone…the hunt is a big part of the fun.
Maybach Materium, and I wish they offered the Amoenus in the baby bottle version as well.
I usually blast through my 375’s within the first couple years from release, and let the 750’s catch some extended slumber.
Wish more estates produced them…
I have read articles that said the main factor was the volume of the wine in the bottle in relation to the volume of the air under the cork. Therefore a half would mature fastest, a bottle at normal pace, and a magnum would be slowest. For something like a 2010 cru classe Bordeaux I am currently trying a few 375s but will leave the bottles another couple of years.
Yes, there definitely seems to be a correlation with bottle size and ageing, but my question goes more towards how drastic is the difference in ageing in different volumes? Do magnums age twice as slowly as regular bottles and 375s twice as fast or is it a different rate of ageing?
I don’t think it is that level of difference, more like advancing by a couple of years over a decade in my experience.
Sauternes is pretty much the only type I buy in 375ml. No reason for me to buy any other wine in this size.