Several large format wine bottles carry biblical names. Most of these are named after kings from biblical times. Among them we find Nebuchadnezzar, Rehoboam, Methuselah and more.
Why they were given these biblical names has never been confirmed, but theories exist. In the 18th century, the term “eroboam” for wine appeared. Eroboam is short for Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. The kingdom was, among other things, known for its production of wine and olives, hence the appropriate name. The Babylonian monarch Nebuchadnezzar and his son, the regent Belshazzar, also had a relation to wine. According to the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament, Belshazzar served wine form cups that his father had stolen from the temple in Jerusalem. Both have since had wine bottles named after them.
The names can also tell us something about the bottle. For example, the six-litre bottle Methuselah is known for its ageing potential, a fitting name as the Jewish patriarch lived for almost a thousand years according to the Bible.
Here is a selection of bottles with biblical names:
