How Many Glasses Are in a Bottle of Wine? (+ Serving Tips)

How many glasses are in a bottle of wine? The deceptively simple answer is...

A “standard pour” of wine is 5 fluid ounces per glass. So, a standard 750 ml bottle of wine would contain approximately 5 servings.

But it’s really not that simple!

Because there are different serving sizes for different types of wine!

In this article, you’ll find out exactly how many glasses of wine are in a bottle (depending on the wine type), the different wine bottle and glass sizes, how much wine you should serve on different occasions, and more.

You’ll also discover how to invest in the finest wines through Vinovest.

How Many Glasses in a Bottle of Wine?

A standard bottle holds 750 milliliters (ml) of wine or 25 fluid ounces. When serving wine, the standard amount you typically pour in a glass is 5 ounces or roughly 147 ml.

So, a single bottle will contain 5 glasses of wine.

However, this number will vary depending on the type of wine and its alcohol level (alcohol by volume or ABV).

The higher the alcohol content in your bottle of wine, the smaller the serving of wine.

That’s why a restaurant will serve you a smaller serving if you choose a stronger wine and a much bigger one if you go for a light-alcohol wine.

This also means that a high-alcohol wine will have a higher number of servings per 750ml bottle.

For example, a bottle of sparkling wine like Asti Spumante (ABV 7% - 9%) will be around 4 servings. Meanwhile, a stronger wine, like a fortified dessert wine (ABV: 17% - 21%), could have 9-12 servings since the servings are smaller.

Now, let’s take a look at how many ounces are in a bottle of wine, considering there are different styles of wine.

With these measurements handy, you can easily figure out how many bottles of wine you’d need for your next gathering. However, you should also consider what type and size of wine glass you want to serve your wine in.

What Are the Different Wine Glass Sizes?

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different wine glass shapes and sizes? And why do they never fill up your glass when you’re served wine in a restaurant?

• The standard white wine glass can hold 8 to 12 ounces of wine (236-360 ml)
• The standard red wine glass holds 12-14 ounces (360-415 ml). Some large glasses of red wine can hold up to 22 ounces sometimes.

There are a few reasons why red wine glasses are bigger than white wine glasses:

• Red wines are more full-bodied and bolder than other wines.
• Older, full-bodied red wines aerate better across a larger surface area.
• Wider glasses trap the rich aromas of wine grapes much better.
• The other more popular wine glass is the Champagne glass, which is in the shape of a flute. The Champagne flute is usually thin and long and can hold up to 6 ounces of sparkling wine. The shape helps to preserve the sparkling wine bubbles for a longer time.

And why do they never fill up your glass when you’re served wine in a restaurant?

That’s to leave some space for aeration in your glass of red wine and try to notice the spectrum of aromas and rich grape flavors that are captured inside your glass.

What Are the Different Wine Bottle Sizes?

Today’s 750 ml bottle of wine was not always the standard size. 

The first recorded use of a glass bottle was by the Romans as a substitute for heavy amphoras (clay vessels with two handles). They weighed above 200 pounds, and pouring wine from them was extremely inconvenient and impractical. 

The major shift to glass bottles was in the 17th century. Back then, the bottle sizes were determined by the glass blower’s skills to blow glass into a specific size.

Nowadays, we can find wine in 17 different wine bottle sizes! 

Interestingly, they’re categorized by volume, and they’re named after biblical kings.

Here are the 17 different bottle sizes and how much wine they hold:

How Easily Can You Find Larger or Smaller Wine Bottles?

If you want to add smaller or bigger bottle sizes to your wine collection, look for Magnum and Half bottles.

However, finding these bigger wine bottle sizes will be a challenging task. Most wine producers either produce larger format bottles in limited quantities or not at all.

Once such bottles are produced, they are quickly taken to auctions because of their rarity and because wine ages more gracefully in larger bottles.

How Do Wines Age in Different Bottle Sizes?

The main difference comes from oxygen exposure. All sizes of wine bottles have approximately the same amount of oxygen sealed under the cork. 

However, in larger bottles, the oxygen is spread over a larger amount of wine. That makes larger bottles more age-worthy since the aging process is much slower and they’re perfect for long-term wine storage or investment.

Contrary, the smaller bottles age faster since a smaller amount of wine is exposed to the same amount of oxygen. 

Do Different Bottle Shapes Hold the Same Amount of Wine?

The shape of a bottle does not determine the amount of wine it contains, but the volume of the bottle does. Traditional wine bottles typically have a standard size which holds 750 ml of wine. This is often used for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and many other wines.

But wine bottles come in other shapes and sizes too. Some of the shapes include:

• Alsace flute: A bottle with a tall flute shape and delicate appearance used mainly for dry and off-dry white wines
• Burgundy bottle: A bottle with curved sides, invented in the 19th century. Used for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah, as well as some of the more sophisticated Spanish wines
• Bordeaux bottle: A tall bottle with distinctive high shoulders that are said to capture the leftover tannins. It’s used for everything else, like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc, among others.
• Champagne bottle: These bottles are heavier and thicker to withstand the pressure from the bubbly wine inside.
• Domaine Ott family rosé bottle: This sloping-shouldered bottle has an elegant globular form and a short neck.

Even though the shapes of these bottles differ, they still hold the standard 750 ml.

How Much Wine Should You Serve per Person?

The standard pour of wine is 5 ounces or 147 ml. 

Go ahead, fill up your giant 300ml glass when you’re enjoying a quiet drink at home. But when it comes to wine drinking in a restaurant or at a wine tasting, the standard pour size will not be more than half your glass.

All that extra space in the wine glass will allow you to experience the wine with all your senses. This way, you immerse yourself in the aromas and textures of your wine rather than simply downing a glass of wine with your meal. 

But do the same rules apply when you’re serving wine on different occasions?

Here’s what you need to know:

• Eating Out: You can order wine by the glass or by the wine bottle in a restaurant. The standard drink size is 6 ounces (175 ml). If you decide to go by the bottle, you’ll get about four glasses. That’s the perfect standard bottle for dinner for two since you both get two drinks and an extra splash.
• Wine Tasting: The purpose of wine tasting is to try a variety of wine flavors and styles. That’s why the standard drink on this occasion will be 60 ml. This way, each person can have six glasses of wine, which equals the standard two glasses served in a restaurant.
• Wine or Cheese Tasting: When organizing or attending a wine and cheese tasting, you can stick to the same 60 ml wine pour. This way, you can concentrate on exploring the rich flavors and different pairings of wine and cheese.
• Dinner Party: At a dinner party, you can plan for up to three servings of wine per person. That adds up to two standard 750-ml bottles or one Magnum bottle for two people. This way, everyone gets into a relaxed and casual mood without feeling tipsy or sleepy by the end of the party.
• Simple Meals and Luncheons: At one-course meals, you can serve two glasses of wine or a total of eight ounces per person (approximately 240 ml). At luncheons, you can serve up to a glass and a half of table wine. This adds up to four to six ounces (120-175 ml) per person.
• Dessert Wine at the End of a Meal: You can plan for a single serving of a 3-ounce (about 90 ml) glass of sweet wine at the end of a meal. This way, one standard bottle of dessert wine holds eight servings.

How Much Alcohol and Calories Are There in a Glass of Wine?

The alcohol content in wine may vary depending on where you drink it. 

In the US, the standard drink has approximately 14 grams of pure alcohol. That’s about:

• 5 ounces of wine
• 12 ounces of beer or malt liquor (the regular beer can size)
• 1.5 fluid ounce of distilled spirits

The calorie intake depends on the wine type. One 5-ounce glass can have between 90-300 calories. 

On average, a standard glass of red wine has 125 calories. This adds up to 625 calories for the whole bottle (more than ⅕ of the FDA’s daily calorie intake).

How Much Wine Should You Drink Per Day?

When it comes to drinking, the normal alcohol consumption, which is considered “moderate” by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is one drink a day for women and two drinks per day for men.

Oenophiles (especially those who enjoy red wine) are advised to have up to:

• One drink a day (for women of all ages and men older than age 65)
• Two drinks a day (for men aged 65 and younger)

The drinking threshold is higher for men. That’s because they generally have higher amounts of an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol.

Consuming more than four alcoholic drinks in a few hours for women and more than five alcoholic beverages for men is considered binge drinking.

According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a “heavy drinker” is anyone who binge-drinks more than five times a month, and that’s when a professional might evaluate whether you have a drinking problem.

However, suppose you occasionally enjoy having 1-2 glasses of wine or whiskey, a light beer, or a mixed drink at gatherings. You fall into the category of a “casual drinker.”

Are There Any Health Benefits to Drinking Wine?

Red wine consists of certain heart-healthy antioxidants which may help reduce the risk of heart attacks. However, the medical community strongly advises against drinking alcohol more than the recommended amount.

How to Build a Wine Bottle Collection 

To buy a bottle of wine, you can go to the nearest wine or liquor shop. Or, if you’re searching for a more specific wine bottle, you can do it online, at wine exchange places, or go to a wine auction. 

However, there are a few things to consider. 

The options in the wine shop might be limited, and you might pay an inflated price. 

On the other hand, buying online might be too risky since you might end up with a counterfeit bottle. And if you want to have an impressive wine bottle collection, you have to think of where to store it for the long term.

Luckily, you don’t have to worry about all these aspects anymore since there’s an easier way to build your wine portfolio:

Build a Wine Bottle Collection Through Vinovest

Vinovest is an online wine investment platform that gives you access to some of the world’s most impressive and rare wine bottles - from New York to Argentina or South Africa. 

Vinovest will: 

• Authenticate your wine bottles so you never get a counterfeit one.
• Ensure your wine portfolio is curated by the best sommelier experts and data scientists with AI-based financial models.
• Store your wine for you in a safe, regulated environment in bonded warehouses close to the best wine regions in the world.
• Deliver your wines to your doorstep.
• Help you sell your wines at the best prices and handle the delivery to the buyer.

Savor a Glass of Fine Wine While You Build a Collection!

You’ll come across different wine bottles and glass sizes, but the standard 750 ml bottle contains five 5-ounce servings.

But as long as you allow for some breathing space in the glass (usually halfway through), you can pour a little bit more or less depending on the occasion and the type of wine.

At the next dinner party, chalk out a unique wine list and get some of the impressive larger-format wine bottles as well. 

Meanwhile, to invest in the finest wines in the world, trusted wine investment platforms like Vinovest are your safest bet!

So why not sign up now and check out how to build a great wine collection right away?