ΜAGNUM VS CONVENTIONAL

Over the past 16 or so years Greek winemakers have been bottling their wines in 1,5-liter capacity bottles (magnum) instead of conventional (750 ml) only. 

The wine in the bottle ages and progresses because of the minimum amount of oxygen which enters the cork. In a magnum bottle, the oxygen – wine ratio is much lower since the bottle contains at least twice the amount of wine. This delays the development of the wine and offers more complexity and durability in time. Magnum bottles are susceptible to long aging and winemakers put in them their most premium wines so they will offer even more pleasure to our taste buds over time. Recently, I had the chance to try a 2012 vintage Malagouzia, from a magnum bottle. While it may sound strange, its elegance and its development has been impressive as its endurance.

An interesting experiment is always the tasting of the same wine from a conventional bottle and from magnum one. Notice the difference between them and you will understand why some prefer magnums fanatically. The result of this experiment will certainly excite you.