Size matters. Oh, yes it does. Let’s say you’re twice as big as average. You can deliver twice the satisfaction to twice as many people, keep going when those smaller than you are spent, and make it last twice as long.

Of course, size doesn’t always equal good. In fact, often it’s tough to find that perfect combination of size and --

What? You thought I was talking about that?

Perverts.

Actually I was talking about big wine bottles -- magnums. At 1.5 liters, they’re twice the size of your normal bottle. They can be excellent values, delivering twice as much vinous satisfaction to twice as many people for less money -- sometimes a little, sometimes a lot -- than it would cost to buy two normal, 750 ml. bottles. These one-point-fives are great for parties, potlucks, any occasion where you need to satisfy a lot of thirsty folks without breaking the bank.

Unfortunately, just like the guy with the enormous…um, you know…who’s got all the finesse of a hungry Great White at a surfer buffet, a lot of these big boys are John Holmes on size and John Bobbit on quality. So offering up my taste buds to you, dear readers, I tasted my way through a bunch of these voluminous vessels to find the ones that make their size count and will leave you with a smile on your face.

Now I think I need a cigarette.

But first maybe I’ll have a glass of the 2009 Mendoza Station Torrontes. I’m becoming more and more enamored of Torrontes, the iconic white-wine grape of Argentina. I love its lush, seductive, floral-honeysuckle-tropical fruit aromas that in this case segues into a surprisingly dry wine that tastes of fresh-squeezed lemons and limes with a beguiling hint of orange-flower water. This is a terrific wine that I’d happily serve to my vinophile friends; it’s also a terrific value, especially the 1.5, which costs three bucks less than buying two 750 ml. bottles.

Two more white wines I’d be glad to pour at my own table were the 2008 St. Martin Reserve Sauvignon Blanc and 2008 Summerfield California Chardonnay. Cheap California Chardonnay is usually a wretched thing to drink, combining the worst aspects of that varietal (blowsy, overdone, insipid) with the least appealing qualities of Sauvignon Blanc (thin, weedy, tasteless).

The Summerfield, though, actually tastes like Chardonnay -- some red apple and apricot balanced by just enough lemon-lime acidity. The St. Martin shows why French wine was made to go with food. Imagine snarfing down a plate of glistening fresh oysters or stone crab claws and you’ll immediately appreciate its clean, brisk, green apple-mineral flavors.

I tasted a pair of standout reds too. The 2008 Anakena Carmenere is as natural a complement to burgers (and red meat of any kind) as mustard and ketchup. Big and brawny, it’s redolent of Carmenere’s characteristic earthiness and tangy cherry-berry fruit. Gabbiano Chianti is one of the old reliables of the wine world, and the 2006 vintage is no exception. You’ll save a buck on the 1.5 and you’ll get a well-made, medium-bodied wine whose crispy raspberry-strawberry-lightly spiced fruit practically begs to be poured with roasted chicken, veal scaloppini, or pork chops seared on the grill.

And if you like that rooty-tooty-fresh-and-fruity thing, the 2008 Gumdale Shiraz has all the summer ripe black-and-blueberry fruit you could want. Only the 2007 Pirovano Montepulciano d’Abruzzi was a letdown, with underripe fruit and oddly sour aromas that only go to show that while size does matter, it’s technique that really satisfies.

Feedback: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it