It's No Surprise That Costco Is Selling A Giant 3-Liter Bottle Of Wine
It should come as little surprise to Costco shoppers that the shopping chain has a large selection of wine to choose from. Costco also has wine bottles that are large in scope as well. We're talking 3 liters in size, as one Costco shopper found.
Taking to Reddit, one shopper highlighted their recent discovery and purchase; a bottle of 2018 Chateau Bel-Air Bordeaux. Unfortunately for the wine aficionado in question, they struggled to find more information about the vintage. Hence, they turned to their fellow Costco shoppers. Based on Costco's product page, it appears that the Chateau Bel-Air Bordeaux is a combination of Merlot with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The vintage sold for $56. For those wanting to try a smaller bottle, you can get it for about $12 for a 750-milliliter bottle. A review described the vintage as, "beautiful dark colour tinged with bright red. Generous nose of ripe fruits with a jammy touch."
This isn't the only vintage available to shoppers in an extra large variety. The chain made headlines back in 2020 by selling 3-liter bottles of Kirkland's Signature Asolo Prosecco. However, these promotions pale in comparison to one bottle of wine that the grocery chain sold.
Costco sold a super sized bottle of wine
If Costco's 3-liter bottles of wine are equal to four 750-milliliter bottles, then its mega-sized 6-liter bottle of Veuve Clicquot is double that. Costco debuted the bottle in 2020, with the wine's size becoming its selling point. Priced at $829.99, Veuve Clicquot came with a huge price point as well for prospective buyers. While buyers were getting a lot of wine with the bottle, they weren't actually saving any money. It would be cheaper to buy eight smaller bottles of the same wine. A large bottle like Veuve Clicquot would definitely be a conversation starter for dinner guests, though. Maybe that's the point.
Over the past few years, Costco has garnered a reputation thanks to its larger bottles of wine. It will have to work overtime if it wants to claim the world record as the biggest bottle of bubbly. That belongs to a bottle dubbed Maximus thanks to its 130-liter size. The bottle was filled with a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon vintage in 2004 in California. From a price point alone, it wouldn't be attractive to the average shopper, selling for $55,812. Still, some shoppers prefer larger bottles of wine and that isn't among the most common mistakes people make when it comes to wine.
Why people purchase large bottles of wine
If you think large bottles of wine are just a Costco gimmick then you should reconsider. Large bottles of wine have historical precedence (although these probably didn't measure 3 liters), with a large bottle of Jéroboam available in France in the early 1700s. What, outside of the motto more is better, makes large bottles of wine a must-have for consumers? Well, large bottles of wine also age at a slower rate given their volume. It's all due to the amount of liquid inside. Large bottles of wine aren't exposed to oxygen at the same rate as smaller bottles of wine may be. This can even affect the taste of the wine itself. Smaller and larger bottles of the same vintage may have subtly different tastes.
Outside of taste, larger bottles of wine also generally have a thicker glass that offers more protection, especially if you're clumsy. Finally, as mentioned above, large bottles are seen as something of a luxury item. They're an object that you can show off to your family and friends. Aren't bragging rights worth spending a little extra money?