What is the connection between wine bottle and wine? We all know that ordinary wine is packed in wine bottles, so is the winery in the wine bottle for convenience or for convenience of storage?
In the earliest days of winemaking, the era of the so-called BC Egyptian culture, red wine was stored in elongated clay jars called amphorae. Dressed in loose robes, surrounded by a group of angels holding wine jars, it is the image of the gods of that era. Around 100 AD, the Romans discovered that glass bottles could solve these problems, but due to the high cost and backward technology, glass bottles did not become the preferred way to store wine until 1600 AD. At that time, glass molds had not been practically used, so the early bottles were relatively thick and shaped in various shapes, which looked more like today’s art sculptures.
A wine bottle is not just a packaging for wine. Its shape, size and color are like a suit of clothing, and it is integrated with the wine. In the distant past, a lot of information about the origin, ingredients, and even winemaking style of wine can be known from the glass bottle used. Now let’s put the bottle in its historical and design context and see how the bottle is related to wine. Hundreds of years ago, the wine that people bought was marked by the production area in the old world (such as: Alsace, Chianti or Bordeaux). Different bottle types are the most striking signs of the production area. The word Bordeaux even directly Equivalent to a Bordeaux-style bottle. Wines from New World regions that emerged later were bottled according to the origin of the grape variety. For example, Pinot Noir from California will use a bottle that marks the Burgundy origin of Pinot Noir.
Burgundy bottle: Burgundy red has less sedimentation, so the shoulder is flatter than Bordeaux bottle, and it is easier to produce.
Bordeaux bottle: In order to remove sediment when pouring wine, the shoulders are higher and the two sides are symmetrical. It is suitable for red wine that needs to be cellared for a long time. The cylindrical bottle body is conducive to stacking and laying flat.
Hock bottle: Hock is the ancient name of German wine. It is used for white wines in the Rhine Valley of Germany and the Alsace region near France. Because it does not need to be stored for a long time and there is no precipitation in the wine, the bottle is slender.
The color of the wine bottle The color of the glass of the wine bottle is another basis for judging the style of the wine. Wine bottles are the most common green color, while German wines are often used in brown bottles, and clear glass is used for sweet wines and rosé wines. Blue glass is no ordinary wine and is sometimes considered a non-mainstream way to highlight the wine.
In addition to the color, when we face large and small wine bottles, we also have such doubts: What is the capacity of the wine bottle?
In fact, the capacity of the wine bottle is considered in many ways.
In the 17th century, glass wine bottles just began to appear, and all wine bottles at that time needed to be blown by hand. Restricted by the artificial lung capacity, the wine bottles at that time were basically around 700ml.
In terms of transportation, since the small oak barrel used as a transportation container at that time was set at 225 liters, the European Union also set the capacity of wine bottles at 750 ml in the 20th century. As a result, small oak barrels of this size can just fill 300 bottles of 750ml wine.
Another reason is to consider the health and convenience of people’s daily drinking. As far as general wine is concerned, it is best not to drink more than 400ml for men and 300ml for women, which is a relatively healthy drinking amount.
At the same time, men drink more than half of a bottle of wine, and women drink less than half, which can be finished in one sitting. If it is a gathering of friends, you can pour 15 glasses of 50ml wine. In this way, there is no need to consider the problem of wine preservation.
Post time: Mar-03-2023