It’s always the same dilemma. You have twelve guests at a wedding or six friends over for dinner, and you wonder if that one magnum of champagne is enough for an aperitif and a toast afterward, or if it's better to open a jeroboam. How many glasses do you actually get from one bottle?
The answer depends on two things: the bottle size and the glass you pour into. A calculation table you'll want to have ready even before the first champagne cork pops.
The simple calculation: glasses per bottle
For clarity, we'll use three standard glass sizes. A tasting glass (100 ml, think of a wine tasting). A standard glass (125 ml, the most common size in hospitality and at home). And a large flute glass (150 ml, more often seen at fancier receptions or dinners).
| Bottle Size | Volume | Tasting Glass (100 ml) | Standard Glass (125 ml) | Flute (150 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demi (Half bottle) | 0.375 L | 3–4 | 3 | 2–3 |
| Standard bottle | 0.75 L | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Magnum | 1.5 L | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Jeroboam | 3 L | 30 | 24 | 20 |
| Rehoboam | 4.5 L | 45 | 36 | 30 |
| Methuselah | 6 L | 60 | 48 | 40 |
For an average dinner or party, you'll calculate with the standard 125 ml glass. That's what most catering services use, and it fits a classic coupe or flute.
For a magnum, that means: about 12 glasses
A magnum is good for twelve standard glasses, or fifteen tasting glasses if you want to offer a wine for comparison at an elaborate champagne dinner. This makes the magnum ideally suited for:
- A dinner with six to eight guests where you comfortably pour one to two glasses per person
- A ceremonial toast with ten to twelve people where everyone gets one glass
- An aperitif for twelve people with one generous pour
For larger groups, scale up: a jeroboam (24 glasses) for 15-20 people, a rehoboam (36 glasses) for groups between 20 and 30, or a methuselah (48 glasses) for a company of 30 to 40. Read about all champagne sizes and bottle formats if you're considering a different size.
How much champagne per person to plan for?
For a normal event, this is a safe guideline:
- Aperitif only (45 min – 1 hour): 1.5 glasses per person
- Aperitif + toast at dinner: 2 to 2.5 glasses per person
- Full evening with champagne as main drink: 4 to 5 glasses per person
Translate those numbers to bottles: for twelve guests at an hour-long reception, you'll need eighteen glasses, or one and a half magnums. For twelve guests for an entire evening, you'll need fifty to sixty glasses, four to five magnums, or (visually much more impressive) two jeroboams.
Pouring tips that make a difference
Pour in two motions. First fill the glass one-third of the way, wait two seconds for the foam to subside, then fill to two-thirds. This prevents overflowing and preserves more bubbles.
Hold the glass at an angle. Just like with beer. Pouring champagne down the side creates less foam and maintains the effervescence.
Drink at the right temperature. Once in the glass, champagne warms up quickly. A bottle at 9 °C will reach 14 °C in ten minutes. It's better to top up more often than to pour a full glass at once. Read our guide on quickly chilling champagne and the correct drinking temperature.
Save the foam, not the money. A cheap coupe looks nice but lets the bubbles disappear quickly. A tulip-shaped flute or a chic champagne glass with a narrow opening retains the effervescence longer.
The three most common mistakes
- Buying too little. "One magnum is enough for twelve people" is true for one round. Not for an entire evening. It's better to over-estimate, because leftover champagne is not a problem; no champagne is.
- Pouring with too large glasses. A wide wine glass looks nice but triples the pour size and halves your number of glasses. Stick to a flute or coupe.
- Serving too cold. Below 8 degrees, you mostly taste cold, not wine. Magnums require a bit more patience to reach temperature; count on a whole night in the fridge, or 30–45 minutes in an ice bucket with half ice and half water.
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