Wine Bottles 101

This complete guide to wine bottles covers the parts of a bottle, the 12 common bottle shapes and the standard bottle sizes. Depending on the type of wine, bottles come in different shapes and sizes for different purposes, and they can tell you which grape variety the wine was made from (even the region it comes from). As you probably know, wine bottles are typically made of glass, and they are not just containers: they carry many details about the wine.

All wine bottles have a specific and unique structure that suits the wine they carry, and each part of a wine bottle has its own meaning.

Are you ready to learn them all?

Parts of a wine bottle

Closure: this is what seals your wine bottle. There are several types, such as cork closures and screw caps and, as we have covered before, there is even a special kind of wine cork that guarantees the best preservation and flavour.

Cork closures: as we have discussed before, these closures allow the wine to be exposed to a very small amount of oxygen. If you want to dive deeper into this, read our blog about agglomerated or natural corks: agglomerated or natural corks

Screw caps: a screw cap is a budget-friendly alternative for winemaking. However, this does not mean that wines under screw cap are always cheap, because some of these caps allow the wine to breathe while maturing. Unlike cork closures, wine under a screw cap will not be affected by cork taint.

Capsule: this is a metal or paper wrapping around the closure that holds the cork tightly to prevent the wine from drying up or evaporating faster than expected.

Neck: this is the delicate part of the bottle below the closure. It gives you something to grip and makes uncorking easy. When filling a wine bottle, the perfect level is when the wine reaches the neck. If the wine level is lower than the neck, it is probably because the wine has leaked out or evaporated through the cork during the maturing period.

Shoulder: this is the sloping part after the bottleneck. Not all shoulders are the same, and some bottles have a high, mid or low shoulder. We have even seen some wine bottles that do not have clear shoulders, while others have shoulders that are more conspicuous.

Body: this is the main part of the bottle. It is usually cylindrical, but its diameter can vary.

Label: this is a sticker on the body where you can find information about the volume of the liquid, alcohol content by volume, vintage, origin, varietal and more.

Punt: this is an indentation on the underside of the bottle, usually made during the moulding process. It helps strengthen the structure of the bottle and ensures its stability.

Heel: this is the bottom part of the bottle, and it helps the bottle stand straight. Now that we have covered the main parts that make up the anatomy of a wine bottle, it is also important to understand that bottle shapes vary, based on the type of wine they contain.

With that being said, there are 12 types of wine bottles with different shapes, and today you will discover them all with The Artisan’s Bottega.

Shapes of wine bottles

Bordeaux

These bottles have a tall, straight structure with high shoulders. Dark green glass is used for red wine, and light green glass is used for white wine. The Bordeaux bottle is used for a variety of grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Bordeaux blends.

Burgundy

Its main characteristics are gently sloping shoulders and a slightly wider body, giving it a classic and elegant look. Green glass is used for both red and white wines, and this bottle is generally used for Pinot Noir, Aligote and Chardonnay. Because it is a very popular bottle, you might come across some variations and styles, and bottle makers often make them with thicker glass.

Rhone

This bottle is very similar to Burgundy in its look, but it is a bit thinner and taller. Green glass is used for red wines, while white and rosé wines use clear glass. The bottle has a longer neck, often embossed with a coat of arms, and more angular sloping shoulders. It is generally used for Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah.

Champagne

This olive-green bottle is often spotted at parties and celebrations and, despite its sturdy design, it is still considered very graceful. It has thick glass to hold the pressure inside the bottle of 80 to 90 PSI, and it has gently sloping shoulders and a deep punt. Back in the day, these bottles used to explode during transportation, so they are now designed with these technical necessities in mind.

Cotes de Provence

This clear glass bottle is often used for rosé and red wines. There are still some remnants of traditional winemaking in Cotes de Provence, and some producers still use regional wine bottles. This bottle is also called the ‘corset’ by the locals. It has been used for decades, with no chance of it going away anytime soon.

Mosel and Alsace

This is a tall, slim bottle with a long neck. Typically, wines from Mosel (Germany) and Alsace (France) use this bottle, as do wineries working with grape varieties such as Riesling and Muller Thurgau. New World winemakers use this bottle for sweet wines.

Rhine

This is also a tall, slim bottle with a long neck, with quite a small punt. Dark brown glass is used for this bottle, which sets it apart from other bottles. It is often intended for grape varieties like Riesling, Muller-Thurgau and Bacchus.

Chianti

This bottle has a round body and a bulged bottom covered with a straw basket. It is also known as the fiasco, and the basket around the bottom provides a flat base for the glass and extra protection during transportation and handling. Use of this bottle has declined over the years, and nowadays most Chianti is bottled in more standard bottles like the Bordeaux.

Bocksbeutel

The name translates to “beer bag”, but it is used for wine. It comes in the form of a flattened ellipsoid and contains the same volume of wine as other bottles (0.75 litres). It has a short neck, which often features an embossed badge on the left shoulder. This badge usually represents the name of its domain. The bottle is made with a flattened shape for a purpose: to carry it around easily and keep it from rolling away on uneven ground.

Jura

This shape of wine bottle has limited recognition and popularity, and it is made from light green glass. The top half has inward-curved shoulders, while the bottom half is a little flared. The shoulders gently blend into its long neck. Grape varieties including Savagnin, Poulsard, Trousseau, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay use this bottle.

Vin Jaune

This bottle has a highly unconventional shape. It is short, stocky and heavily built, and it is legally authorised for Vin Jaune wine only.

Fortified wine

This bottle is slightly similar to the Bordeaux bottle, thanks to its straight body with high, rounded shoulders. The neck has bulges, which prevent debris from being poured into the glass. Its dark black glass protects the wine from light. This bottle is used for fortified wines such as Vermouth, Port, Marsala and Madeira.

Wine bottle sizes

Apart from these 12 bottles, some other types and shapes are also used by winemakers to attract and boost sales. Burgundy, Germanic and Bordeaux bottles are the most commonly used around the world. Now that we have learned about their shapes, let’s go over some bottle kinds according to their size (yes, there are wine bottles bigger than the average 750.00 ml bottle that most producers use).

You might be wondering why there are so many large-format bottles. The answer is very simple! Some large commercial brands of inexpensive wines use Magnum or other large formats in an attempt to boost sales.

Thank you for reading our articles and allowing us to share our artisan expertise with you. If you follow our tutorials for winemaking or share this information with your friends and family, do not forget to tag us on our socials @artisans.bottega and share your pictures!

We love checking up on our Artisans Family.