WineSquire.com Question of the Month
A: This is a very interesting question! Along with its more notorious history as one of the trademark phrases of 1960's cartoon character "Snagglepuss," there also happens to be an unrelated, and happily vinous Murgatroyd as well. Specifically, in the wine trade, a Murgatroyd is the largest commercial available Wine and Champagne bottle at 50 liters or 66 standard 750ml bottles. Though it is hard to find a definitive source, this largest bottle is said to have been made by glass technologist John Blackburn Murgatroyd (1903-1986) and coined after his name.
What is more certain, however, is that Mr. Murgatroyd is known in the glass bottle manufacturing industry for his development of the "Murgatroyd Belt." This is a modification to the shape of the bottom half inch of a cylindrical bottle "that prevents the bruising that can lead to excessive breakage when subject to thermal shock;" saving millions of dollars in wine and other bottled goods.
Below is one of the commonly accepted bottle size rankings (see also: Size Matters):
If you are interested in purchasing larger format bottles of wine or champagne please contact Andy Campbell (andrewc@winesquire.com)
Cheers!
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