Just a Few More Tidbits on Wine Bottles

Last time we explored the various shapes of wine bottles and learned that they are based on traditions that continue to today. Here are few more tidbits about wine bottles:

• The color of wine bottles originally had their origins in helping to protect the wine. Dark bottles protected the wines from premature spoilage. So, wines that age longer, like reds, will almost always be in dark green bottles.

• Today, the color of a wine bottle is still used to protect wines but they are also based on tradition

  • Bordeaux bottles are most often green for red wines (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux Red Blends, Zinfandel, and Merlot) or clear for white wines (e.g., Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc)

  • Burgundy bottles are usually green (e.g., Pinot Noir and Chardonnay)

  • Alsace bottles come in clear, green or amber (e.g., Riesling)

• The wine bottle colors shown in the photo are (left to right) clear, antique green, dead leaf green, dark amber, amber and Champagne green

• Looking closely at wine bottles, you’ll notice that some are flat on the bottom while others will have a deep indentation known as a "punt.” These indentations were originally put there by early glassblowers to ensure a bottle could stand on its own. Without a punt, the rounded bottle needed some other means of staying upright. Which leads us to Chianti…

• Chianti bottles were originally wrapped in straw for two purposes: hand-blown glass bottles had round bottoms and could only stand up-right with the aid of the straw basket, and the baskets served as added protection during shipping

• The foil cover that goes over the top of a wine bottle, covering the cork, is called a capsule. While the capsule was originally used to protect the cork, today it is largely decorative. The color of the capsule has no meaning and is usually chosen to best match the bottle and label

  Cheers!

Ever Wonder? What Does the Shape of a Wine Bottle Mean?

Wine bottles come in many different shapes, sizes and colors. Ever wonder what the significance is of the shape of a wine bottle?

The simple answer is that wine bottle shapes are largely based on tradition. And, many of the traditions are based on early glass-blowing techniques.

The Burgundy bottle (far left and far right) is most often used for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This makes a lot of sense - Red Burgundy is traditionally Pinot Noir and white Burgundy is Chardonnay. These bottles have a long neck and sloping shoulders.

The Bordeaux bottle (Second from the left) is the most common bottle type. A Bordeaux bottle has straight sides and high shoulders. The most popular type of wine in Bordeaux are Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot blends. With white wines, this shape is most often associated with Sauvignon Blanc. But, being the most traditional shape, you’ll find lots of wines sold in this shape of bottle.

The Rhône bottle (middle) looks a lot like the Burgundy bottle but is just a little thinner and taller. The neck is slightly longer with more sloping shoulders. Rhône bottles are often embossed with a coat of arms below the neck. This style is also used for Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah.

The Alsace bottle (fourth from the left) is taller and thinner than other types. The main grape contained in Alsace bottles is Riesling.

So, there you go. With these four bottle shapes you should now be able to identify the style of wine before you even read the label!

Next time we’ll take a quick look at some other unique things about wine bottles. Until then, “Cheers!”

Does Weight Equal Quality in a Wine Bottle?

You may have experienced it when shopping for a bottle of wine. You lift the bottle to look more closely at the label and you notice how heavy it is relative to other bottles of wine. And immediately you equate this substantial bottle with high quality. But, is it really?

There is no doubt that weight influences quality. And, a high quality product deserves high-quality packaging. Heavy just seems to feel good. Right!

Well, according to wine servers in restaurants, a heavy bottle is a pain to carry, open and pour.

Also, these heavier bottles tend to be slightly larger than a standard bottle, so they often don’t always fit in a standard wine rack.

And don’t forget that a heavier bottle means a case of that wine is going to be significantly heavier. And that adds to the shipping cost.

So, shouldn’t we really be paying more attention to the quality of wine inside the bottle than the bottle itself? In most cases, the bottle weight really doesn’t mean anything. The one exception is for sparkling wine. A thicker bottle is necessary to handle the high pressure inside the bottle. Otherwise, a heavy bottle is just a packaging option that the winemaker is using.

Then, there’s that ‘dimple’ in the bottle of wine. What’s up with that? Well, we’ll get into that next time. But for now, Cheers!