For all its beauty, fragility and artistic history, glass has always enjoyed an eminently practical status as well. Glass is a nearly inert material, which is to say that it has no chemical interaction with most materials that it might come into contact with (except, of course, for acids strong enough to etch it, like hydrofluoric acid). Glass can be safely sealed to prevent oxidation, evaporation of liquid or intrusion by any air-borne contaminants. It is thus ideally suited as a long-term storage container. And clear glass admirably displays its contents with brilliant clarity.

It was not until the 17th century that glass making technology advanced to the point that more or less uniformly-sized neck bottles could be consistently produced, thereby permitting the marriage of bottle to cork stopper. The development of these two elements, uniform bottle neck size and cork stopper are credited as the two necessary prerequisites of the modern international wine trade.

During the 18th century, bottle shapes evolved more nearly into those we recognize today as being distinctively wine bottles. Made from black glass they became taller and more cylindrical, and most assumed the form of today's Burgundy bottle. The first machine to make wine bottles was put into use in Cognac in 1894, and the age of truly uniform bottle shape and size had begun.

It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that wine bottles developed into the particular shapes of the regions from which they came, such as those of Bordeaux or Champagne. Today, most of the great viticultural regions of the world have their own distinctive bottle shape.

Perhaps you know that you can tell a wine bottle's contents from its shape--well, usually you can. The traditional French bottle shapes have become the norm for fine wines from California and for most other viticultural regions of the world. Whereas the bottle shape for French wine tells you where the wine comes from, the same bottle shape for wines from around the world will usually tell you what varietal is in the bottle.
The most common bottle shapes are:

This high-shouldered bottle may have derived its shape from the fact that older red Bordeaux varietals often have sediment settled at the bottom. When the wine is either decanted or poured into glasses, the shoulder of the bottle helps to trap sediment particles and prevent them from escaping with the good wine. All red Bordeaux wines are to be found in green glass, while all white Bordeaux varietals are to be found in clear glass (with a few exceptions in green), but both have the distinctive high shoulders.

For California wines, the same holds true--in most cases, because we all know that California vintners are rugged individualists, and not all of them honor the traditional use of bottle shape for varietal. In addition to the Bordeaux varietals, you will usually find Zinfandel bottled in the Bordeaux shape.

This elegant, sloping-shouldered bottle can also contain either red or white wine. In both France and California, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the classic varietals bottled in this shape. Pinot Noir is usually found in green glass while Chardonnay may be found in either green or clear glass. In California, Chenin Blanc and Rhone varietals are also usually bottled in this shape.

This large, thick-walled and tall-necked bottle has evolved into the ideal shape for storing sparkling wine under tremendous gas pressure. Thank you, Dom Perignon!

All Champagne and other sparkling wine bottles have a recess or indentation in the bottom of the bottle. For wine stored under tremendous gas pressure, this is essential because it relieves the pressure on the bottom of the bottle. Without the punt (or kick, as it is also called) the bottle might well blow out at the bottom.

For still wines, the punt in the bottle has been there since glass was first blown by hand. A pontil, or wooden stick, was used to secure the bottom of the bottle while the glass blower spun and blew at the neck end. Naturally, the stick indented the bottom of the still molten glass. Today, molded glass bottles do not require the punt, but tradition decrees that it shall be there. You will not find it universally, but almost all fine wine bottles retain the punt.

Many dessert wines made in California are bottled in long-necked bottles that resembles the bottles of Alsace and the Mosel and Rhine wines of Germany. Color plays an important part in distinguishing the wines, too, for all Rhine wines are bottled in brown glass, while all Mosels are bottled in green. In California, the glass may be green, brown or clear.

It's always puzzled me why the long-lived dessert wines of Tokaji and Sauternes come in clear bottles. Colored glass is supposed to block out much of the ultraviolet light that is harmful to wine so wines meant for aging, red and white, should have the extra protection of colored glass. I guess logic can't beat tradition.

In France, most Rhone Valley reds and whites as well as Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc are in Burgundy bottles. There is no logic to the Languedoc's 'anything goes' bottle selection.

California vintners of Sauvignon Blanc often use the Burgundy bottle to distinguish a style meant to resemble a Loire Sancerre or Pouilly-Fume from a style meant to resemble white Bordeaux. Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay follow tradition.

In Tuscany, most reds use the Bordeaux bottle while in Piedmont both Bordeaux and Burgundy bottles are used for all the varietals.

Some regions have developed unique bottle designs. The short, flat and round bocksbeutel of the Franken wines of Germany and the green amphora bottle of Verdiccio from Italy's Marches region are examples of unique shapes that have become the regional standard.