Small-format wine is a premium wine packaged in smaller volumes than a standard 750ml bottle, typically between 50ml and 150ml, and designed specifically for tasting, education, comparison, and controlled consumption. Unlike full bottles, which are built around shared drinking, small-format wine is built upon accessibility. Allowing greater exposure to great wine, without the commitment to consuming a full bottle. In short, small-format wine separates tasting from volume.

The traditional wine bottle assumes that tasting and drinking are the same activity.

In many situations, this creates friction:

🦉 Limited opportunity to compare wines side by side

🦉 Pressure to finish bottles once opened

🦉 Reduced access to premium or fine wines

🦉 Increased waste and unintentional over-consumption

Small-format wine exists to address these issues by offering a format designed for learning, discovery, and moderation, rather than quantity.

What Small-Format Wine Is (and Is Not)

Small-format wine is often confused with other reduced-size wine formats. The distinction lies not just in size, but in intent.

Small-format wine is:

🦉 Curated and quality-led

🦉 Designed for tasting and comparison

🦉 Suitable for education and evaluation

🦉 Focused on still wines

Small-format wine is not:

🦉 A novelty miniature

🦉 A replacement for everyday bottles

🦉 A shortcut to cheaper wine

🦉 A consumption-led format

The purpose of small-format wine is understanding, not volume.

How Small-Format Wine Is Used

Small-format wine is commonly used for:

🦉 Side-by-side tasting and comparison

🦉 Learning how to assess wine structure and style

🦉 Exploring regions, grape varieties, or producers

🦉 Sampling premium wines before purchasing full bottles

🦉 Drinking less, but with greater focus

This format is increasingly used by wine professionals and adopted by consumers who want more control over how they experience wine and access more premium options.