Wine Bottle Shapes (The Carey Company)
When wine was first packaged in glass containers, vintners in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal used whatever bottles were available from regional glassblowers.
As such, the bottles reflected the different glass artisans’ design preferences, such as shoulder slope.
Wine bottle shape may have also evolved from input from the vintners themselves who may have requested certain style attributes that they believed suited the type of wine it held.
As wine became more popular and glass was used as its primary packaging, historians believe there were different considerations aside from tradition and aesthetics that were involved in creating the various wine bottle types. Factors such as aging, sediment capture and colored glass are all part of the wine bottle’s history.
However, regardless of whether they hold red or white, sparkling or still varieties, all types of wine bottles have similar fundamental attributes. Before we delve into the bottle types, here are the different parts of a wine bottle.
Parts of a Wine Bottle
Mouth
This is the opening of the bottle.
Lip
This is the rim below the mouth or opening. The lip, also called a ring, usually extends a bit wider than the mouth and is part of the bottle’s finish.
Finish
This includes the mouth and lip of the bottle. The finish can be made to accept corks, bar stoppers, crown caps or they may be threaded to accept a screw caps.
Neck
The narrowest portion of the bottle below the mouth. The neck helps control the flow of the wine from the bottle.
Shoulder
This is the curved area below the neck of the bottle—where the bottle gradually widens usually to its full width.
Body
This is area where the shoulder ends and continues down the remaining length of the bottle. It is normally the widest part of the bottle. The label is usually affixed to or printed on this portion of the bottle.
Heel
This is the base of the bottle.
Punt
This is the indentation on the bottom of the bottle, which can vary in depth. Please note that not all bottles have a punt.