Halves - where art thou?

The decline of the half bottle has caught my attention.

Half bottles of wine are in short supply. You hardly ever see them anymore. I’ve known about their gradual extinction for a while but as a regular drinker you might be thinking ‘where have the halves gone?’.

Coincidentally, a friend recently asked me about half bottles. He wanted to know what the industry view was on them and why they’ve disappeared from shop shelves. He rightly pointed out that they are practical, classy too, yet he can’t seem to find any. Time for a half bottle deep dive.

A stunning little half bottle

A half bottle constitutes 37.5cl worth of wine, exactly half of a standard 75cl bottle. This equates to 2-3 glasses, depending on the pour. They can come in miniature versions of the Bordeaux bottle (high shoulders) or Burgundy bottle (sloped shoulders) and they can be closed by screw caps or corks. I don’t believe there are any rules and regulations about what can be bottled in half format so you’ll see halves of all the main styles of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling and sweet. Half bottles are particularly useful for sweet wines. We’re drinking less and less sweet wine so there’s less chance of waste with a smaller bottle.

In the wine trade, half bottles receive a bit of a bashing. Cue eye rolls and comments like ‘why don’t you buy a whole bottle rather than faff around with halves’ - they are seen as an inconvenience. Often we don’t have many in stock, which leads to disgruntled clients so my heart usually sinks when asked for half bottles.

Taking my day job out of it, one of the reasons you would buy half bottles is the freedom they bring to your drinking habits. There have been many occasions when I’ve planned to open a special bottle (a present of an incredible bottle of Red Burgundy springs to mind) but I’ve wanted a little glass of something else first. If you’re in a restaurant, you might want a glass of white wine with your starter. Step forward half bottle of White Burgundy or Muscadet for a refreshing hit pre-main course. Half bottles are perfect for this scenario because you can easily finish a half between two, leaving enough space in your stomach and palate for something else.

Halves are also brilliant if you live alone or find yourself on your own for a few nights. Opening a 75cl bottle is daunting, especially if you’re trying to be healthy. You might want a glass of wine in the evening without the pressure of finishing a bottle. Consuming a bottle during an evening might leave you with a sore head but as someone who hates waste, I dislike the idea of wine going past its best. Of course, there are efficient ways of protecting an open bottle of wine (this is still the best way of preserving a bottle. Make sure you pump and then store in the fridge, even if it’s a red wine) but it’s not a perfect solution. Half bottles are therefore the antidote to wasted wine. There’s no guilt about drinking a bit more than you anticipated because you’re capped by the size of the bottle! Control cannot be lost with halves.

Half bottles of Champagne are particularly useful. Wave goodbye to that half drunk bottle in your fridge with a spoon poking out the top. I’m not sure who publicised this as a method to ensure sparkling stays sparkly but it’s rubbish. Step away from the spoons - they are not your friend. It’s not always easy to finish a bottle of sparkling wine and even though champagne stoppers are useful, you might not have one on you. Halves are so dinky - perfect for a two-person aperitif and they make great stocking fillers come Christmas time.

It all sounds like half bottles are man’s greatest discovery so why are we seeing less and less of them? Sadly, many producers are decreasing their half bottle production (a lot have cancelled them all together) due to the difficulty in producing them, the costs associated and their faster ageing.

Half bottles are tricky to produce. Most wineries will be equipped with a bottling machine, which specifically works for 75cl bottles. The majority of a producer’s output will be 75cl bottles so this is where they spend their money. Halves have to be bottled separately (often by hand), resulting in extra costs. Many wine producers have decided to do away with halves for exactly this reason. Rising costs have affected wine production and sadly, the half bottle is the sacrificial lamb. If you do see half bottles, they will come with a price tag. You’d think you would pay half the price of a 75cl bottle but due to production costs, you pay more for half bottles. They are not cost effective for the producer or consumer.

The ageing process of wine is also accelerated in half bottles. The amount of air in an unopened bottle is the same in a 75cl bottle yet there is much less wine in halves so oxygen’s impact is greater. Oxygen plays a vital role in a wine’s development so the liquid inside half bottles transforms at a faster rate to larger bottles. This isn’t an issue if you buy your half bottles young and enjoy them straight away but if you left a couple to age for a few years, I fear the wine would be over the hill. Ageing is usually beneficial to most wines provided they have the bones for it but there’s a risk factor with halves where you just don’t know how much time you have. I personally enjoy wines when they have lots of fruit and vibrancy so I’ve been disappointed a few times when opening a half bottle to find the wine a little muted.

I can’t work out whether a lack of demand is the reason for decreased production of half bottles or whether it’s purely down to producers bowing out. Surely, if demand was high, more producers would bottle their wines in half bottle format? Is the reality that most people would rather get more liquid for their money another reason for their demise? I think it’s a bit of both. The decline of the half bottle is on our heads and the heads of winemakers too.

It’s not all bad and there are some wine merchants that still have a few half bottles on offer. Sure, the selection might not be the most exciting but beggars can’t be choosers. Here are a few ideas:

Berry Bros & Rudd have decreased their half bottle offering but they still offer their three classic Own Selection wines in halves. Good Ordinary Claret, White Burgundy and NV Champagne can all be bought by the half bottle. These are great for mid-week drinking.

The Wine Society is flying the flag for halves. They have a decent range with a half of 2020 Muga Reserve being my pick.

Sadly, I don’t think there’s anything to be done about the fazing out of halves so if you see some, grab ‘em while you can.