Once upon a vine

Does size really matter?
By Gabe Saglie

When it comes to the enjoyment of wine, does size matter? We buy wine for quality, right? That's the most important thing. And often for value, of course.

But admittedly, I have often been drawn to a particular bottle of wine because of its size. There's something appealing about an oversized bottle. It's elegant. Long and sleek. And it denotes exclusivity. There are fewer of them to go around, and as a consumer, I tend to think it is the best wines that are reserved for those special larger-than-normal bottlings.

Most importantly, there's simply more wine to go around. Take a magnum. Magnums are twice the size of your average wine bottle, holding 1.5 liters of your favorite red or white. You can quench twice as many thirsts. A portable party in a bottle. And more heads are guaranteed to turn when you walk into the onset of an evening with a magnum cradled in your arms.

I put this notion to the test at a recent family gathering when I arrived with my wife Renee on one arm and a magnum of Dan Gehrs' 2001 Syrah on the other. This particular syrah is a beautiful wine in your regular 750ml bottle. But housed in this large, lengthy, lovely bottle, it also became a conversation piece.

"That's got to be a really nice wine," someone said.

Indeed. It's even numbered, right on the label. My bottle was number 83 of 135. There's that exclusivity. There simply aren't too many of these out there.

And the magnum just looked good at the center of the table, surrounded by its smaller counterparts and a bevy of culinary courses.

In the midst of conversation, I got up to pop the cork. And heads turned. And talk waned. There was an interest in seeing this engorged bottle being opened up. And as my corkscrew slowly snaked down the core of the cork, and as my wrist followed my arm's lead and turned upward, and that compact cylinder of bark emerged slowly from the stretched slender neck, a hush fell upon the table, interrupted only by a the surprise snap of a cork's freedom.

And then, clapping.

That was my cue to get up and take that big bottle in both hands and begin my tour around the table. Each glass got a generous sample of the silky syrah I'd been bragging about since the night's inception, and there was plenty to go around. Several people even got seconds. And at dinner's end, even in its empty state, that magnum continued to gain glances from intrigued imbibers.

As dramatic as this example might seem (and perhaps some of my family and friends are simply more easily impressed than others), the fact of the matter is magnums are fun. They generate interest and, subsequently, conversation.

And they're practical, too. It turns out wine housed inside a magnum will age better.

"The air to wine ratio is smaller in a big bottle," my friend David Cable once told me. Less air will allow for longer wine preservation.

Another friend, Arnie Duvier, who boasts a beautiful private wine cellar in Los Angeles, once told me that when it comes to storing wine, he equates largess with longevity. He'll buy a few bottles of a wine he likes in the regular 750ml size and one or two in magnums.

"I'll drink the smaller stuff now and store the bigger ones longer to see how the wine grows over time."

Duvier also says he's found some of his favorite wines in magnums in times when the smaller, regular bottlings have been sold out.

I'm a few years away from a fancy private wine cellar of my own. For now, the large bottles are simply a source of intrigue and fascination. I've got a few magnums at home, including some champagnes earmarked for the holidays. I've got a few even bigger special bottles, too, including double magnums (equivalent to four bottles) of a Kahn Winery syrah and sauvignon blanc. They were memorable gifts from the winemaker himself. And I'm saving a Methuselah (equivalent to eight bottles) of Fred Brander's Bouchet for a special occasion. Fred gifted me with this burly bottle at my wine radio show's first anniversary party. The Bouchet is a tasty blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot, which is sure to age nicely over the next several years, especially in its huge housing.

And just imagine that party that'll ensue when I arrive at that family dinner with Renee on one arm and the Bouchet methuselah on the other. Okay, on my back.

Gabe’s radio show, “The Grapevine” airs from noon-1 p.m. Saturdays on KZBN AM1290. He can be contacted at gabe@thegrapevineshow.com.