Dear Sir, I am told that the bigger the bottle, the better the chances that the wine will last. Does that apply to spirits like cognac? In what sizes do cognac bottles come? Thanks.
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
As far as wine is concerned, it seems that a larger than normal bottle does seem to prolong the wine's life, all other factors equal, perhaps because the trapped oxygen or head space is much less in relation to the liquid volume. Magnums (double the standard size) seem to be ideal, but there really isn't a great deal of scientific research to confirm this widely held view which I happen to share. Cognac comes in a range of bottle sizes that vary somewhat by country, but the 750 ml bottle in the U.S. (or 700 ml in other countries) is by far the most important in sales. Big brands such as Hennessy VS are also available in a very small sizes (50, 100 and 200 ml) as well as half bottle (375 ml). There are large format bottles sold in some places containing 1.5 liter and 3 liters.
