Balthazar

Designation of a bottle oversize for a champagne with the volume of 12 litres or the content of 16 normal bottles. However, the name is not protected of origin, but can be used freely for sparkling wines or wines. It is derived from Belšazar or Bel-šarru-uṣur (+539 BC), the last king of the new Babylonian Empire and has nothing to do with one of the "Three Holy Kings". He was a later successor of King Nebuchadnezzar II. (605-562 B.C.). In the Old Testament he is referred to as his son or grandson, but this is not correct. According to the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament of the Bible, he desecrated the vessels of Jehovah that Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from the temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar drinks from these vessels and has his gods praised. Then, as if by magic, an inscription of flames appeared on the palace wall, which only the prophet Daniel knew how to read: "Mene mene tekel u-pharsin. According to Daniel's statement, it means: "Mene: Counted, that is, God has counted the days of your royal rule and ended them. Tekel: Weighed, that is, you were weighed on the scales and found too light. Peres (U-parsin): "Your kingdom will be divided and handed over to the Persians and Medes. Belšazar was killed that very night with opium poppies and his kingdom was subsequently divided. See a list of all bottle designations under Bottles and generally under Wine Vessels.