Melchior

Designation for an oversized bottle with a volume of 18 litres or the content of 24 normal bottles. This giant size was formerly used for still wines in Bordeaux, Tuscany and South Africa. The name is derived from one of the Three Magi (alongside Balthasar and Kaspar) or "Wise Men from the East" in the New Testament in the Bible, who presented the newborn Jesus with gold, frankincense and myrrh in the stable in Bethlehem. The same bottle size, but labelled Goliath (after the biblical giant) or Solomon (after the king), is used for champagne. Decanting machines are used for bottles of this size (picture on the right). All oversized bottles are listed under Bottles. See also under wine vessels.

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Melchior

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