All Hail the Supreme Liter! Why the 1000ml Bottle of Wine Is the Perfect Format for Right Now
Once a rarity, they now stand hand and shoulders above the 750ml—here’s why (plus our picks).
Hana Bae
Only a few years ago the liter-sized bottle of wine was a rarity in the wine world: squat and broad shouldered, containing just a glass or two more than a standard 750 ml bottle with none of the awkward heft and self importance of a magnum and all that it connotes.
You’d see them in the cold case of smart wine shops, often containing crisp grüner veltliner, sometimes sealed with a crown cap like a big bottle of beer but mostly topped with a stelvin-style screw cap—all the better for quick access, quick resealing, and, blissfully, leak free storage on its side in the fridge.
Those features make it stand head and shoulders above the 750ml with its elaborate corking systems (fake or natural). As lovely and transformative as that ritual is, it’s, well, dated. Do we really need to peel that foil off, pull a corkscrew or sommeliers knife out of the drawer, twist, and lever, and wrestle out a plug on a Tuesday night, when ritual is the last thing we need in times requiring focus and a fast glass of wine. The liter bottle of wine never requires you to work for it. It’s sizable enough to slake a solo drinker’s thirst for three or four days. Leftover wine is good wine.
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The size is also sociable. Should you be invited to a socially distanced outdoor party, showing up with a liter says: Open this now. Now is not the time to stash this in your cellar. We’re here to crack the seal and seize the day. Similarly if you’re hosting folks in your backyard, plunking down a liter on each table is equally convivial and generous. In a year when we’re worried about having less ( job security, clean air, health, social justice), it’s nice to know that there’s a bottle that’s all about having just a little bit more.
Follow These Liters
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Niepoort Drink Me Nat’Cool 2019
A light, fresh red from Portugal’s Bairrada region, it’s called “Drink Me” for good reason.
Berger Gruner Veltliner 2019
A zippy and refreshing Austrian white that’s so decently priced you won’t feel bad deglazing that pan sauce with it—that is after pouring yourself another glass.
Gia Coppola Rosé
Rosé is not meant to be fussed over and, let’s be honest, the color is half the appeal. The arty label on this (photographed by Gia Coppola, the filmmaker turned winemaker) helps seal the deal.
Ampeleia Unlitro
If you’re looking for a “house wine” to have in regular rotation for sipping from diner prepping to dish washing, this earthy biodynamic red fron Tuscany is for you.
Azul y Garanza Viura
A no-nonsense light white wine from Spain that goes down easy. Ideal for a lazy Sunday or a midweek roast chicken dinner.
https://www.wine.com/product/azul-y-garanza-viura-1-liter-2018/527843#
Essential Wine Gear
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Le Creuset Waiter’s Friend Corkscrew
A textbook version of the ubiquitous sommelier’s knife, but with a comfier handle, a sharp blade for slicing through capsules, and a double-hinged lever for easy extraction of even the most stubborn synthetic corks.
Riedel WineWings Glasses
We’ve duked it out over fancy glassware in the past, but this series of wine glasses might make converts of the mason jar set. With a flatter bottom profile and undulating curves to afford for vigorous swirls, the Silhouette of each glass is designed to provide maximum air contact with the contents. That means the aromas meet your nose and meld with the palate of your wine to provide an orgiastic crescendo of sensory components.
Hard Strong 7-Ounce Stackable Glasses
Made in Japan since 1967 and strengthened through an Ion-Exchange process, these glasses are compact, stackable, and ultra-durable. They’re often used for hot tea in ramen shops, but they function just as well with a weeknight Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (or a thumb of whiskey). Bonus: A six-pack of these costs less than a single Riedel!
North Drinkware Glasses
Glass half-empty or half-full is not what we’re mulling with this smart series of tumblers, which features relief sculptures of prominent mountains in the base. What better way to contemplate the heights you’ll reach in the year ahead than to drain a dram with heft like this?
Corning Pyrex Erlenmeyer “Decanter”
Go ahead, drop $300 on a fancy blown-glass decanter. That’s blown money, once it meets the edge of an elbow after the third bottle of the night. We’ll be drinking the money we saved by using this dirt-cheap and durable Pyrex surrogate, which is made for the lab but works damn well enough on wine, too. It’s food safe, brand-new, and best of all cheaper than most wine we’d recommend.
Coravin Wine-Preservation Systems
Previous models of this system injected inert Argon gas through the cork via hypodermic needle, pushing wine back out and preserving the delicate juice inside. That’s fine for sipping your way through $800 bottles of cult cab, but for the average drinker just looking to prolong something pretty damn good, or maybe to work through a few bottles in a night without the pressure of draining them, this system is a life-saver. Instead of punching through the cork, you’ll swap on grommeted rubber necks after the cork is removed. The result: Four weeks versus a few days of post-cork longevity—and zero opener’s remorse.
This Story Came From the 2020 Wine Issue—Read It Here!
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