02/27/08 The Wine Bottle

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and today we are going to explore the wine bottle. It wasn't until the seventeenth century that glass became the material of choice to hold wine. Up until then it had been stored in stoneware or pottery. As the technology of glass making and shaping advanced - so did the shape of wine bottles. Early wine bottles were more rounded. The classic woven raffia basket around a bottle of Italian wine was to keep it stable and standing upright. However, when it was realized that wine benefited from laying down, the bottles became longer and more streamlined. Although wine keeps best in a dark bottle, a clear glass will show the wine off. It has become a mix of tradition and the producer's choice. A heavier glass tends to signify higher quality or a wine meant to be aged. Although the typical bottle capacity is 750 ml. the bottle closure can be a cork, a synthetic imitation cork or a screw cap. The cork can be sealed with anything from a dab of wax to a capsule made from foil, plastic or tin. There were once traditional shapes of bottles for each type of wine  but that seems to have disappeared. Some wine bottles may have an indentation in the bottom - it's called a punt. The front label and its style varies from one producer to another. The back label is optional but often provides legal information or a description of the wine. As we look at today's wine bottles most standards have slipped away. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.