Short definition
A 375ml bottle of wine, holding exactly half the standard 750ml, ideal for solo diners or pairing different wines with different courses.
Half bottles are underrated. They let you have two different wines with dinner without over-ordering — a white with the starter, a red with the main. Solo diners get a proper bottle experience instead of whatever is open by the glass. The one drawback: wines age faster in smaller formats because the cork-to-wine ratio is higher. For wines meant to be drunk young, this is irrelevant. For collectible wines, stick with full bottles or magnums.