Types of Wine Bottles

When you know the shapes of wine bottles, you can guess the type of wine in the bottom most times without looking at the label. German wine bottles are known for their tall and slim shape but other wine regions have different shapes. Some regions may be similar to other regions when it comes to wine bottle shapes.

Bordeaux Wine Bottles

This type of wine bottle is tall and straight. The bottles are usually made with glass that is dark green for dry red wines. Dry white wines are in a light green bottle while the clear glass is for sweet wines. This bottle is often used for chardonnay wines.

Burgundy Wine Bottles

Burgundy wine bottles are made with shoulders that slope. Green glass is used for red wines as well as the white wines. The bottles are heavy with a fat girth. The girth of the bottle is more noticeable when the bottles are stacked rather than when they are standing up. This bottle shape is used for chardonnay or pinot noir wines.

Champagne Wine Bottles

This bottle shape has thick glass that slopes gently around the shoulders. It also has an indent in the underside. The indent helps keep the pressure inside the bottle at a low rate. The champagne wine bottle shape is used for the wine that contains a lot of fizz.

Rhine Wine Bottles

These types of bottles have a slender and narrow shape. They are tall with a slight slope on the shoulders. The glass is a brown color on most traditional bottles. The wines used with this type of bottle can vary so the label should be read in some cases.