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Wine, the fine drink originating from ancient civilizations, not only carries rich historical and cultural significance but also reveals the crystallization of human wisdom in its details. Today, let's talk about an interesting topic regarding wine bottles: why is the capacity of a wine bottle usually 75CL (750 milliliters)?
To solve this mystery, we must start from the "past and present" of wine. In the Middle Ages, the storage and transportation of wine primarily relied on oak barrels. These wooden barrels varied in size, but the two most widely used capacities were 225 liters and 228 liters. With the prosperity of maritime trade, especially the large quantities of wine from Bordeaux being shipped across Europe, oak barrels became especially important as standardized transport containers.
As time passed into the 17th century, significant advancements were made in glass manufacturing technology, and glass bottles gradually began to replace oak barrels as the primary storage containers for wine. However, at this time, the capacity of glass bottles did not have a unified standard. Since glass products at the time were primarily made by hand-blowing, artisans discovered that around 700 to 800 milliliters was the maximum capacity they could blow in a single breath. Therefore, capacities within this range became common choices.
However, while this hypothesis has some validity, it lacks theoretical support. In fact, the specifications for wine bottles were established as early as the nineteenth century. At that time, Britain was the main importer of French wine. To avoid excessive calculations and complications in import and export, merchants from both countries agreed to use 225-liter (roughly equivalent to 50 gallons) oak barrels for transporting wine and established an intermediate capacity that would result in whole numbers of bottles during bottling. As 225 liters of wine could be evenly divided into 300 75CL wine bottles, merchants set this intermediate capacity at 750 milliliters to promote trade between France and Britain. Since then, the 75CL wine bottle have been established as the unified standard for European wine bottles and have continued to this day. This not only meets demand considerations but also solves many practical problems, facilitating transportation and storage, and making transactions more convenient for merchants and consumers.
Besides historical and standardization reasons, the capacity of 75CL wine bottles is also related to healthy drinking. For common wine with an alcohol content of around 12%, it is considered appropriate for men not to exceed 400 milliliters and women not to exceed 300 milliliters per day. Therefore, a 750-milliliter bottle of wine is just right for two people to share, satisfying the enjoyment of taste while adhering to principles of healthy drinking.
In addition, the traditions of wine tasting and sharing have also contributed to the mainstream capacity of 75CL wine bottles. A good bottle of wine typically needs to be enjoyed with friends and family on suitable occasions, and the capacity of a 75CL wine bottle perfectly meets this need.