Let us paint you a picture: You show up at your friend’s birthday barbecue with a wine you’re really psyched about. You pour out glasses for all of your friends to try. But by the time you go to pour yourself a taste, the wine is gone.
This tragic scenario unfolds at picnics, BYOB restaurants, and backyard dinner parties every day. And for a casual get-togethers — like the aforementioned barbecue — magnum bottles might seem a little too intimidating. To walk this thin line between scarcity and overindulgence, you might consider bringing a liter bottle to your next group gathering.
Often, the wines made in a magnum format are just larger versions of expensive bottles that are already on the market, whereas liter bottles tend to contain more casual wines meant for easy-drinking enjoyment at a great value. These wines are bottled specifically for when you need just a little more wine than your average 750-milliliter bottle — like when laid-back sharing among friends arises. So, be the hero of your next summer party and bring one of these stellar liter bottles.
Helenental Kellerei ‘#GVLTAT’ Grüner Veltliner 2022
While there are many “serious” and complex examples of Grüner Veltliner out there, Grüner is also widely enjoyed as a more casual, sessionable white wine. And when wine is made in this style, it’s often served in a liter bottle to drive home that point. This option is a great example of that approachable, laid-back style of Austrian Grüner. It has crisp acid and notes of lemon, pear, and white pepper, making it a crowd-pleasing choice for a hot summer day.
Price: $15
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Zajc Cviček
Cviček is widely considered the national wine or the “people’s wine” of Slovenia. Loved for its light-bodied style, low alcohol, and food-friendly profile, this extremely quaffable category lies somewhere between a red and a rosé, making it the perfect candidate for a liter bottle. This example from Zajc is a blend of Blauer Koelner, Blaufränkisch, Kraljevina, and Welschriesling from the hilly region of Dolenjska in Slovenia. Chill it down and pair with some grilled meats.
Price: $17
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Ampeleia ‘Unlitro’ Costa Toscana 2022
While most of the reds on this list fall firmly under the “glou-glou” category, this red blend from Tuscany offers a deeper, more savory flavor profile while still remaining approachable and easygoing. In addition to its bright fruit, you notice notes of tobacco, thyme, pepper, and leather. Bring this food-friendly liter to your local BYOB Italian haunt.
Price: $18
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Niepoort Drink Me Nat Cool Branco 2022
This is not your typical Vinho Verde. While it does have that easy-going nature that the region is beloved for, it packs a serious punch of flavor. Intense aromatics of white flowers, herbs, and citrus waft out of the glass, and the palate has a wonderful spritz and zest to it. This is perfect for drinking by the pool or pairing with a light veggie course.
Price: $19
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La Boutanche Gamay 2022
If you’re looking for a solid liter of gluggable wine, you can’t go wrong with a bottle from La Boutanche, a line of liter bottles from Selection Massale. The wine importing company grew frustrated with the lack of affordable options in the natural wine space and decided to take matters into their own hands. Selection Massale works with producers all over the world to compile this lineup of playful bottles at an approachable price. This organically farmed Gamay from Olivier Minot in Beaujolais is the epitome of this concept: It delivers juicy cherry flavors, great acidity, and that signature earthy note found in great Beaujolais. This is the perfect match for cheeseburgers served right off the grill.
Price: $22
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Cantina Viticoltori Senesi Aretini ‘Gatto Grosso’ Vino Rosso 2021
There’s nothing like a liter of red from Tuscany to get a pizza party going. This blend of organically farmed Canaiolo, Mammolo, and Sangiovese is full of red fruit flavors like juicy cherries, raspberries, and strawberries. Balanced by savory notes of earth, leather and licorice, it has enough structure to stand up to food, but its tannins definitely take a back seat to its refreshing acid, making it all too easy to finish off a liter.
Price: $23
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Milan Nestarec Okr 2021
The Czech Republic’s Milan Nestarec understands the true meaning of the liter bottle. The winery’s website offers drinkers some insight alongside its line of liter-sized wines: “For that moment when magnum feels a tad too decadent but a regular 750 just won’t do.” Well, we agree, and are glad Milan Nestarec’s easy-drinking liters are here to fill that void. Okr is the winery’s skin-contact liter and is intentionally made with a shorter maceration, which adds some complexity and energy to the wine without imparting intense tannins. The wine has delightful aromatics of peaches, grapefruit, and lemon zest, and definitely achieves the winery’s quaffability goals.
Price: $24
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Finca Parera Fins Als Kullons 2021
Ruben Parera is one of the producers leading the natural wine movement in Spain’s Penedès region, where winemakers are increasingly embracing organic agriculture, focusing on native grapes, and distancing themselves from the Cava DO. This vibrant wine is made with a blend of both red and white local grapes, with equal parts Xarel-lo, Sumoll, and Garnatxa Blanca. Flavors of sour cherries, tart red berries, and an earthy minerality wash over your palate, and by the time you stop to question whether it’s a light red or a dark rosé, the bottle will already be gone.
Price: $27
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Eloi Cedo Sistema Vinari Litrona Mallorca Red
Wine importer Selections de la Viña understood the assignment with Litrona, its line of liter bottles. The wines, according to the Spanish wine importer, are “focused on drinkability, which is why 750 ml just wasn’t gonna cut it.” Crafted with local varieties with producers across the country, you can’t go wrong with any of these bottles. But we must admit, we have a soft spot for the tart and juicy Gorgollasa from Mallorca.
Price: $32
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