Designation of an oversized bottle for a champagne with a volume of 12 litres or the content of 16 standard bottles of 0.75 litres each. However, the name is not origin-protected, but can be used freely for sparkling wines or wines. It is derived from Belšazar or Bel-šarru-uṣur (+539 BC), the last king of the new Babylonian empire and has nothing to do with one of the "Three Holy Kings". He was a later successor to King Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC), but was not related to him. According to the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament of the Bible, he desecrated the vessels of Jehovah that Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from the temple in Jerusalem.
Belshazzar drank from these vessels and praised his gods. A flaming inscription then appeared as if by magic on the palace wall, which only the prophet Daniel was able to read: " Mene mene tekel u-pharsin" . This means: "Mene: numbered, that is, God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: Weighed, that is, you were weighed on the scales and found to be too light. Peres (U-parsin): Divided your kingdom and handed over to the Persians and Medes". Belshazzar was then killed with opium poppy and his kingdom was subsequently divided up. See list under bottles (all formats) and wine vessels (all types).
Painting: By Rembrandt - Codart, Public domain, Link
Bottle sizes: © Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer
Source: WIKIPEDIA Menetekel
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Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg