Wine Tips

Bottle Shapes

Simply looking a the shape of the bottle can give you an idea of the style of wine contained therein. Below is a guide to the most common bottle shapes.

The Bordeaux Style Bottle		The Burgundy Style Bottle		The Rhône Style Bottle
	With straight sides and tall shoulders, this is perhaps the archetypal image of a wine bottle. Traditionally, wine-makers use dark green bottles for reds, light green for dry whites and clear bottles for sweet whites. This style of bottle is widely used in Italy and the New World, especially for the Bordeaux varietals e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.		This style of bottle has gradual sloping shoulders and a wider girth for its size than the other bottle shapes. Bottled in green for both Red and White Burgundies, this shape is used widely in the New world for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.		Similar to the Burgundy bottle shape, but a little slimmer, Rhône bottles are often embossed with a coat of arms on the neck. Outside of the Rhône, the most common use of this shape bottle is in New world Shiraz. In general, green coloured glass is used for both red and white wines.
The Champagne Style Bottle		The Port Style Bottle		The German/Alsace Style Bottle
	The traditional Champagne bottle shape is used throughout the world for sparkling wines. The glass is thicker than that used for still wines with a large punt.		Similar to the Bordeaux shape, with straight side and high shoulders and sturdy construction, Port style bottles may have a bulb in the neck – a feature supposed to capture the sediment of an aged vintage port as you pour. Port bottles are often dark-brown to black in colour. For styles that are designed to be drunk young, they may be sealed with a cork stopper instead of the traditional long cork.		A distinctive tall and slender shape with little to no punt. This bottle style is common to the Rhine and Mosel regions of Germany and to Alsace in France. Further a field, you may find New World Reislings bottled in this shape bottle. Green colour bottles are indicative of Mosel and Alsace whilst a brown bottle is typical of the Rhine.
Clavelin Bottle Style
	Uncommon bottle shape and size, but refers to a 62cl bottle, typical of Vin Jaune from the Jura. Appointed by law and regulations, this is the amount of wine left from one litre of wine after 6 years 3 months maturation in cask. Please see our bottle size guide.