Nebukadnezar
Behind the term "Nebukadnezar" lies an oversized wine bottle with a volume of 15 litres - this corresponds to the contents of twenty bottles with a normal capacity of 0.75 litres. Wine bottles of this size are rather rare and are mostly used for sparkling wines or Burgundies. Experts usually give very large glass bottles names that go back to famous kings from the Old Testament - in this case it is the Babylonian king Nebukadnezar II (605-562 BC). The name means "God Nabû, protect my eldest son". Protection is also what large wine bottles are about: The larger capacity causes the wine to mature more slowly in the bottle, and the thicker glass protects the contents from light penetration. The Babylonian king is also the namesake for an opulent red wine cuvée from Babylonstoren in Paarl - the Babylonstoren Nebukadnezar - and not without reason, because the beautiful garden of the winery is reminiscent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which King Nebukadnezar had built for his wife.