Wine Bottle Notes
In the process of tasting wine, we often identify the origin, age, grape variety and flavor of wine by observing the color of the wine, tasting the flavor of the wine, and experiencing the aftertaste of the wine. However, in reality, the wine bottle also provides us with some clues to judge the wine. Therefore, knowing the bottle of wine is also very helpful for our wine tasting. This article will take you one by one to decipher the little secrets contained in the wine bottle.
Bordeaux bottle
Bordeaux bottle straight to the shoulders. Different colored bottles hold different types of wine: dry reds are served in dark green bottles, dry whites are served in pale green bottles, and sweet whites are served in white bottles. This bottle is also often used by wine merchants in New World countries to hold Bordeaux blend style wines, and Italian wines such as Chianti are also often used in Bordeaux bottles.
Burgundy bottle
Burgundy bottles are sloping shoulders, rounder, thick and sturdy, and slightly larger than ordinary wine bottles. They are usually used to hold some mellow and fragrant wines. Whether it is used for red wine or white wine, the color of this wine bottle is green. Usually, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in New World countries are bottled in Burgundy; Italian Barolo and Barbaresco are more intense. Burgundy bottles are also used in most of the wines, and wines from the Loire Valley and Languedoc are also commonly used in Burgundy bottles.
Rhone bottle
The Rhône bottle is similar to the Burgundy bottle, but has a slightly different circumference. Generally speaking, Rhone bottles are not as large as Burgundy bottles. In addition, some Rhône bottles will have a shield on their neck, notably Chateauneuf du Pape. Shiraz wines in New World countries are often served in such bottles.
Champagne bottle
The champagne bottle is a beautiful flute shape. The bottle body is specially designed according to the characteristics and style of champagne, with thick walls, sloping shoulders, and concave bottoms, which can withstand high pressure of 80-90 Pa. In addition, the cork is a seven-layer closed design, which seals the bottle tightly once it is inserted into the neck. Both "New World" and "Old World" sparkling wines are served in this bottle.
Hawker (including Rhine, Alsatian or Mosel)
There are two kinds of Hock bottles, one is the Alsatian or Mosel bottle with a green bottle, and the other is a Rhine bottle with a brown bottle. Alsatian or Mosel bottles are tall and thin and hold a variety of styles of wine, from dry to semi-dry to sweet. Therefore, only by looking at the label, you can know the mystery in the bottle. The Rhine bottle is similar in shape to the Alsatian bottle and mainly contains wines from the Rhine region.
Fortified wine bottle
Most fortified wines such as Port, Madeira and Sherry come in heavier, stronger bottles. Vintage Port wine bottles will have a large bulge at the mouth of the bottle, which is used to facilitate sedimentation on the bottom of the bottle. This wine bottle is usually sealed with a cork, and is especially suitable as a bottle of fortified wine to drink when young.
In addition, the size of the wine bottle also affects the quality of the wine. The freshness of wines in large bottles lasts longer than wines in small bottles, because large bottles age the wine more slowly. However, this is also one of the disadvantages of large bottled wine, because the wine in it matures too slowly, so you need to wait patiently for it to mature, and you need to be "pleasant" instead of "solo". Several common sizes of wine bottle types are: Small (Picolo/Split, 187.5ml), Half (Demi/Half, 375ml), Standard (750ml), Large (Magnum, 1.5L), Extra Large (Double Magnum, 3.0L), Super Pack (Jeroboam, 3L or 5L), Supreme Pack (Imperial, 6.0L), etc.
Post time: Feb-24-2022