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In the 1920s, the London wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd was asked to create a wine cellar for a doll’s house, commissioned by Queen Mary, to showcase the best of British craftsmanship. Designed by Edwin Lutyens, it had running water, electricity, a library of tiny books and, naturally, a wine cellar stocked with 1,200 miniature bottles, including vintage ports, an 1889 Montrachet and top-tier bordeaux. These days, the doll’s house resides in Windsor Castle, but Berry Bros has a replica of that cellar in its own Mayfair cellar, complete with 5ml bottles of those same wines.

It is fair to say that this is not representative of the calibre of wine one generally finds in miniature bottles, a format associated with air travel and what I once called “journey juice” – ie, a drop that would last me the six stops from home to London Victoria on a Friday night. Google “miniature bottles of wine” and you’ll overwhelmingly be served examples from the very biggest wine brands in the world. This is also true of canned wines, although I’d argue there’s more interesting wine going into cans than small bottles.

However! There are times when a mini bottle, which is usually somewhere between 200ml and 250ml, is just the ticket; when you’re the only one drinking and want just a glass, say, or maybe you’re sipping fizz and don’t want a larger bottle to lose its bubbles. For both reasons, champagne is ideal in miniature. What’s not to love about a cold, dry, biscuity and very sparkly solo glass of Lanson Le Black Création or Pommery Pink Pop? It’s cute, it’s camp and it’ll cost you a third of the price of a full bottle for those evenings when one (generous) glass is enough.

They mostly come in plastic bottles, so minis are also good for a picnic. It’s no coincidence, then, that Marks & Spencer – summer’s temple to the picnic – should have a good selection. Also unsurprising is the disproportionate presence of rosé in mini bottles – the standouts being M&S’s Finca Miguel Cava Rosado, a sprightly, red fruit-forward friend to any fizz-loving prosecco sceptics, and Côteaux Varois en Provence, which is simple but unfailingly delicious. I also think the same store’s Rosso di Puglia is a winner fresh out of a cooler: juicy and food-versatile. Laithwaites, too, has a good selection of minis, including its very popular Cabalié wines from Languedoc-Roussillon. The white, in particular, is a peachy viognier blend, at once rich and fresh.

None of these is wine to challenge you, but if you want instant, easy drinking with a focus on fun, stock up your fridge, or even your doll’s house.

Four mini marvels

Lanson Le Black Création £13.15 (200ml) Sainsbury’s, 12.5%. A classic non-vintage champagne that always hits the spot. Drink straight from the bottle for extra loucheness.

M&S Côteaux Varois en Provence £4 (250ml) Ocado, 12.5%. Everything you want from Provençal rosé – a dry, strawberries and cream delight in a voluptuous mini bouteille.

Cabalié Blanc 2024 £3.99 (187ml) Laithwaites, 12%. Viognier, muscat and colombard have a party so you can, too.

M&S Finca Miguel Cava Rosado Brut £3.50 (200ml) Ocado, 11.5%. An impressive, bubbly blend of Catalonian grape trepat with pinot noir – it cries out for picnic tapas.