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Half bottles: overhyped or underappreciated? Or both?
Check out this piece from Restaurants & Institutions headlined “Half bottles, full service” about no less than the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco jumping on the bandwagon and singing the praises of half bottles of wine.
Perhaps I’ve been writing a wine column for too long (ahem, 1989, but I was 12 years old at the time), but I do recall that one of the first columns I published was a “Half Bottles are the Next Big Thing” piece. And I’ve seen about 200 incarnations of the same trend story since then, and have written a couple of them.
Didn’t happen then, won’t happen now. Nothing wrong with the concept, couldn’t agree more with the reasons why half bottles SHOULD be the next big thing, but wine drinkers, with a few exceptions, have simply never embraced the 375 ml size, in restaurants or in their cellars.
But that won’t stop us wine writers from writing the same story every few years, hoping each one will become a self-fulfilling prophecy, then developing amnesia so that when someone spots the trend again a short time later, we’ll hop on that bandwagon, with unbridled enthusiasm.
How many half-bottles do you have in your cellar? And do you order them from restaurant wine lists?
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Comments
By Dylan
March 20, 2009 3:05 PM | Link to this
You can speak of all the practical assets for half bottles, but social acceptance requires more people. When the shopping cart was first invented, women didn’t want to use them because they had already pushed a carriage around all day. Similarly, men were disinterested with the invention because it supposed they weren’t man enough to carry their groceries. The inventors actually paid people to use them just to make it look acceptable. Based on comments here and the article, half bottles should hit acceptance in due time. -Dylan, www.ourwinestory.com
By pattyv
March 20, 2009 2:43 PM | Link to this
I have halves in my cellar and I order them in restaurants. When traveling, I try to find a couple of half bottles for the hotel room. My complaint is that there is such a limited selection, some wine stores do not even carry half bottles.
By dhonig
March 20, 2009 11:57 AM | Link to this
The ideal case, for me, has 9 750s and 6 375s. Why? You can start drinking the 375s earlier, and by doing so you get an idea of how the bigger bottles are aging. That way, you don’t open a whole bottle before it has peaked. I try to buy that way whenever I buy something for cellaring.
By chiefwino
March 19, 2009 6:16 PM | Link to this
I have occassionally ordered half bottles however, as more restaurants have improved their by- the-glass selections it is not as necessary. Also with the Merlot-to-Go law I go ahead and get the full bottle and take home the leftovers. So the need for 375ml may not be as strong as it once was.
By Joel Schaefer
March 19, 2009 3:36 PM | Link to this
I order halves at restaurants when possible because my wife and I don’t drink a whole bottle at a sitting. They’re often much better than by-the-glass selections. A few are in the cellar: Sauternes and older Bordeaux when I find a bargain.
By Emily
March 19, 2009 2:18 PM | Link to this
I have about 2 cases of splits/half-bottles at all times. I like them for the very reason that no one in my family drinks wine, so if I want wine with dinner, it is the best option. In my area (Yakima Valley), I am starting to see more and more wineries producing small quantities of splits. While they may not age as well as 750’s, they are very nice and convenient to have around.
By Arthur, winesooth.com
March 19, 2009 1:52 PM | Link to this
Hi Mark One of the problems with half-bottles is that they age poorly compared to 750 ml bottles.
By john Samaritano
March 19, 2009 1:38 PM | Link to this
I have no halfs in my cellar but really enjoy them in life…i am single and i travel for biz. Most times restaurants have few or no selections or they are half bottles of high end wines….they need some value too
By john Samaritano
March 19, 2009 1:38 PM | Link to this
I have no halfs in my cellar but really enjoy them in life…i am single and i travel for biz. Most times restaurants have few or no selections or they are half bottles of high end wines….they need some value too