How many glasses are in a bottle of wine?

It’s no secret that we are big fans of wine around here. While I love learning about wine, I also know it can be a little intimidating at first. So, I thought it might be fun to put together a post with some frequently asked questions about wine. If you have more, leave them in the comments and we will add to this post over time!

Related: Have you ever made mulled wine? So good! Or try a white wine spritzer. And you can learn 4 ways to gift wrap a bottle wine.

Common Questions About Wine

Types of Red Wine

• Cabernet Sauvignon – One of the most popular types of red wine, tends to be very rich in flavor and usually pairs well with steak or peppery sauces.
• Pinot Noir – Also very popular, tends to be lighter but usually complex.
• Merlot – Can be a wide variety from fruity and smooth to more full-bodied.
• Malbec – Often spicy and rich in flavor.
• Zinfandel (Primitivo) – Tends to be bold and more fruit forward, sometimes described as jammy.
• There are many more types of red wine, but these are just some of my favorites and most common. You will also often see red blends, which can be a blend of any red wine type.

Types of White Wine

• Chardonnay – Usually on the dry side (not sweet), but can be almost buttery in flavor.
• Sauvignon Blanc – Tends to be dry and crispy.
• Riesling – Can be sweet or dry and usually fruity.
• There are many more types of white wine, but these are just some of my favorites and most common.

Rosé and Sparkling Wines

• Rosé – Pink in color, this wine is made when the skins of red grapes touch wine for only a short time. Can be dry or more on the sweeter side.
• Prosecco – Softer and a little more on the sweet side.
• Champagne – The OG fizzy wine, tends to be more on the dry side. Always reminds me of NYE.
• There are more types of sparkling wines and sweet wine blends, but these are just some of the most common ones.

Wine Bottle Sizes

• Standard – This is the universal bottle size for most wines, holds 750 ml.
• Half (Demi) – Holds half a standard size bottle of wine, 375 ml.
• Magnum – Holds two standard size bottles of wine, 1.5 L
• Jeroboam (double Magnum) – holds four standard size bottles of wine, 3 L
• Nebachadnezzar – holds 20 standard size bottles of wine! 15 L
• There are more bottle sizes, but I’ve only really encountered standard, half and magnum. I listed a few more just to give you a better idea of the options and scale.

In the above photo, you can see what 5 ounces of wine looks like in a carafe. This is a great way to serve wine if you are hosting a wine pairing or simply want to offer a more exact glass size.

Wine Accessories

• Carafe – for measuring individual servings
• Decanters – to serve wine while allowing it to breathe, which can enhance the flavor
• Stopper – sometimes you just can’t get the cork back in but you want to save wine for another night.
• Aerator – this forces wine to interact with air quickly (as poured) which can deepen the flavors

If you open a bottle of wine and don’t love it or forget to drink it all in a timely manner, don’t forget you can cook with wine! It’s a great addition to pasta sauces, soup or risotto.

Wine Glasses

• Red wine – larger glasses work well, as well as stemless wine glasses
• White wine – smaller wine glasses work well, stemless is not as preferred as the wine will not stay chilled for as long
• Sparkling wines – flutes or coupes are commonly used
• Spanish wine glasses – a different option from traditional wine glasses for red or white wine.