A bottle of wine today is not particularly surprising. They learned to produce this drink a very long time ago, in ancient times. But such a type of container as the bottle into which it is poured today has appeared recently. Depending on the type of wine and the place of its manufacture, it can have a different shape and volume. Its modern look is a long way to perfection. The wine bottle has its own, very interesting story.
Glass containers have become widely used for bottling a heady drink relatively recently. When people learned how to make wine, they used completely different containers to store it. For example, in Egypt, amphoras (clay vessels) were used. Then mankind learned the techniques of making glass. People realized that it perfectly retains all the taste qualities. But a bottle of wine of standard size appeared only at the beginning of the 19th century. The best volume for such a liquid is considered to be a capacity of 700 to 800 milliliters. But there are more impressive bottles, the volume of which is equal to 2.3 liters. Gradually, winemakers in many countries took the standard volume of 750 milliliters, which facilitated the trade in this product.
A bottle of wine has a specific color. Usually it is green, brown or light glass. Color may indicate belonging to a specific region. So, in Germany Moselle wines are bottled in green bottles, Rhine wines - in brown, etc.
Bottle configuration is also of great importance. Over the years, it was found that the cylindrical shape is the most optimal. Firstly, in this form it is convenient to transport. Secondly, such a capacity allows to improve the storage conditions of wine. It is stored horizontally in the cellars, where it matures. The cylindrical shape and this storage method allows the natural cork to remain always moist and to prevent air from entering the bottle. In addition, the contact of wine with cork gives it a certain taste.
Sometimes the form a bottle of wine has indicates the origin and quality of its contents. A classic is a Burgundy bottle. This is an elongated container with sloping sides. This form is used by many wine producers in Europe. Chardonnay, Beaujolais, Chablis and other drinks are poured into a Burgundy bottle.
Classic Bordeaux wine bottles are narrow, high-capacity. Usually green glass is used for red wine , and light for white. Bordeaux wines and certain types of Cabernet Sauvignon drinks are bottled in such containers.
Some manufacturers have taken such a form for bottling French, Italian and Spanish dry wines.
In Germany and Alsace, they use an elongated Rhine bottle. The Provencal form resembles an amphora, the Frankish form a flask.
Some German wines are bottled in a triangle. For champagne use a container of very thick glass.
A bottle of wine (more precisely, its form) is of great importance for assessing the quality of content. Many experts can give a drink a characteristic only in the appearance of the container.
The shape of the bottle, the color of the glass - this is not only information about the wine. These indicators have aesthetic value. It is also a certain brand, which is significant for many connoisseurs of good wine.