HISTORY
Half the world was dominated by the Kingdom of Great Britain at the time. Many English companies had estates in Portugal (where they founded the port wine industry ), in Spain (where the same applied to sherry ), in Sicily (where Marsala was also invented by an Englishman) and in Bordeaux, each with a lively wine trade with the mother country. Overseas, this was the case in the Caribbean, in this case with spirits such as gin and rum. It is therefore no coincidence that the bottle for wine and alcoholic beverages was "invented" and production perfected in England.
Invention of the bottle
The English diplomat Sir Kenelm Digby (1603-1665) developed an improved production technique in 1652, but did not bother to patent it. The fame for the invention of bottles then went to John Colnett, who applied for a patent in 1661. They had a spherical body with a long neck and slowly developed into onion-shaped, short-necked vessels known as "mallets" or "horse's feet" by the beginning of the 18th century (picture above centre and right). The olive-green bottles (17 cm high, 14 cm in diameter) were made from forest glass (potash glass) in northern Germany for the Dutch market from around 1710 to 1750.
Cork as a stopper
At this time, the use of corks as stoppers was already widespread. The bottles were fitted with a bead at the top of the neck, which served to secure the stoppers attached with strings. A glass seal was often fused onto the body of the bottle, which also contained the nominal volume but no indication of the contents. This offered a certain degree of protection against fraud by bottles that were too small.
Labelling
After the advent of glass bottles in the middle of the 17th century, it was forbidden for a long time to sell wine by the bottle, and for good reason. The different sizes of the bottles would have opened the door to fraud. By the beginning of the 19th century, instead of the bulbous spherical shape (see pictures above, centre and right), the cylindrical shape that is common today (see picture on the left) prevailed because it was far more suitable for stacking the bottles. The first producer of bottles in this shape was Ricketts in the English city of Bristol, and the company held a patent for it. It was also at this time that the first labels in today's form came into use.
BOTTLE SHAPES
Despite the industrial production of glass bottles, marketing in bottles was the exception rather than the rule until well into the 20th century and was mainly only used for better qualities. For the most part, wine was marketed in barrels not only for the reasons mentioned above but also for practical reasons such as easier transport. In many countries, general bottling only became established after the Second World War.
Many countries, wine-growing regions and producers have created specific bottle shapes, sizes and colours in order to create a distinctive identity for marketing reasons. In the German wine-growing region of Saxony, the cone-shaped Sachsenkeule is common, in the Rheingau region the slim, brown Schlegel bottle and in the Mosel region the same in green colour. The Schlegel bottle (also known as the tall bottle) is most commonly used for white wines in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the French region of Alsace. Dark bottle colours protect against UV light, which causes the wine defect "Käseln" (light taint).
Most common forms
The Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne bottles, which are named after the regions and have significant shapes and colours, originate from France, but are now used worldwide. The Burgundy bottle in particular quickly became popular worldwide due to the Chardonnay boom in the 1980s. There are also special bottles in many countries, such as the Clavelin for Vin Jaune, the wire-wrapped Alambrado for Rioja, the Bocksbeutel in Franconia (also in Greece and for Armagnac), the Albeisa in Piedmont for Barolo and Barbaresco or, in the past, the bast-wrapped Fiasco for Chianti. There are also customised bottles.
Standard sizes
For a long time, the standard size for wine bottles was 0.7 litres. According to one theory, it goes back to the monk Dom Pérignon (1638-1715), who determined this as the average amount consumed by male adults at dinner. Others assume purely practical reasons, as this also corresponds roughly to the amount of air that a glassblower can take in at once in his lungs. However, large wine vessels containing up to 30 bottles were also used. These balloon-shaped vessels were mainly used for storage. The first legally defined bottle size was the "Pinte de Paris", introduced in 1735 under the French King Louis XV (1710-1774). This hollow measure for wine, beer and cider bottles was 0.93 litres and had a minimum weight of 25 ounces (765 g).
Wine bottles in Europe had a volume of around 0.7 litres between 0.65 and 0.85. This size was in use until the 1970s. Only then did the current standard of 0.75 or three quarter litres for wines become established worldwide. Since 1977, 0.75 litres has been the European standard for wine bottles; in Germany, however, 0.7 litres was still used until 1987. This size is also referred to as 1/1 in the catering trade. In Switzerland(Vaud), however, the 0.7 litre bottle is still in use today and the 0.75 litre size is still not universally used in the USA. For spirits, however, the volume is still usually 0.7 litres. However, there are also numerous smaller volumes and oversizes (see below). In accordance with EU regulations, the nominal volume of wine of all quality classes is expressed in hectolitres (hl), litres (l), centilitres (cl) or millilitres (ml) (for bottles from 0.1 to 10 litres).
Miniature bottles
Spirits in particular are often bottled in miniature bottles with a small volume of 0.01 litres, the most common size being 0.02 litres up to 0.10 litres. But there are also wines that are marketed in this way. With the Vinitas system developed by Coravin, a standard 0.75-litre bottle can be divided into seven miniature bottles. This results in a volume of 0.11 litres per bottle, which is slightly less than an eighth of a 0.125 litre wine.
Bottle material
In the context of environmental protection, bottles made from lightweight glass are of great importance in terms of sustainability. The production of glass, which is around a third lighter, can save an enormous amount of energy and greatly reduce CO2 emissions. However, lightweight glass is just as stable and strong as conventional glass. A new trend is to bottle wine in returnable beer bottles with crown corks.
According to EU regulations, it was mandatory to apply a protective foil, usually made of tin foil (aluminium), over the cork, cap, agraffe and bottle neck on sparkling wine bottles. This has no longer been necessary since December 2023. This will avoid the environmental impact of the film, which is described in the explanatory memorandum as "unnecessary packaging waste". De Sloovere-Pienne was the first producer to introduce new bottles with just one paper strip. More and more producers are also dispensing with capsules for still wines in order to save unnecessary packaging and weight.
OVERSIZED BOTTLES
In the French regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne in particular, it has long been customary to bottle wine or sparkling wine in larger bottles. Bottle ageing takes place more slowly, which generally has a very positive effect on development. The most common sizes for wine are magnums with a volume of one and a half litres and double magnums with a volume of three litres. The larger sizes are usually just showpieces for marketing purposes. To protect the wine from the damaging effects of UV light, most wine bottles are produced with dark-coloured glass. Many bottles have an indentation at the bottom for practical reasons.
Biblical names
Most oversized bottles are named after famous biblical figures. However, there are different versions of the origin. The wine author André Simon (1877-1970) believed that the names were chosen in reference to the greatness and in honour of the mighty kings of Israel (not all of them were kings). The first use of biblical names dates back to 1725, when winegrowers in Bordeaux used Jeroboam for the six-bottle. The alleged reason was that he was described as a "man of great worth". They were probably inspired by Eugene Destuche, a poet from Champagne, who mentions Jeroboam and others in his works.
Uses
The tradition of using biblical names was only continued in the 1940s, particularly in France. In Champagne (champagne) and Bordeaux (still wine), some of them have different volumes. Above six litres, they are usually only used for Champagne in small quantities or for marketing purposes. Some oversized bottles are used exclusively for storage or ageing, such as the Demijohn (Lady Jane) with a volume of 45 litres, and the contents are then decanted into normal bottles before marketing. The three sparkling wine oversizes Magnum (1.5 litres), Jeroboam (3 litres) and Rehoboam (4.5 litres) are the preferred sizes for ship christenings. At Formula 1 car races, it has long been customary for the winner to spray the contents of a Jeroboam bottle into the crowd.
Decanting machines
So-called decanting machines (wine decanters, wine cradles) are available for decanting or pouring large formats. This prevents the swirling of a deposit (deposits at the bottom of the bottle). The bottle is clamped into the device with the opening diagonally upwards and the neck of the bottle is moved slowly and continuously downwards using a hand crank or lever until the wine flows out.
EU REGULATIONS
The new EU wine market regulations that came into force in 2009 also resulted in changes to wine containers. Previously, quality wines could only be sold to consumers in glass bottles, wooden barrels or ceramic containers. In order to increase competitiveness with third countries, this provision, which was disadvantageous for the EU countries, was cancelled without replacement. Quality wine (PDO) may now also be bottled without restriction in a wide variety of containers such as bag-in-boxes or Tetra Pak. A new trend with sustainability in mind is to bottle wine in returnable beer bottles with crown corks.
BOTTLE TYPES
Sommeliers have a mnemonic (alluding to the famous pop star's alleged penchant) for the correct order of bottle sizes: Michael Jackson Really Makes Boys Nervous. That makes Magnum, Jeroboam, Rehoboam, Methuselah, Salmanazar, Balthazarand Nebuchadnezzar. This list is missing some of the larger sizes, but the table contains all formats.
LARGEST WINE BOTTLES IN THE WORLD
There has been a real race for the honour of the world's largest wine bottle in recent years. In each case, the bottles were custom-made for marketing or charity purposes
Australia - 290 litres / 1.96 metres high
Wine merchant Kim Bullock had a bottle made in 2007 to promote Australian products. At 196 centimetres high, it is the size of a man and weighs 485 kilograms. Manufactured in Germany and filled in Australia, the bottle contains the contents of 387 0.75 litre wine bottles, giving it a volume of over 290 litres (equivalent to 1.3 classic barrique barrels). The bottle contains a Shiraz cuvée (Syrah) from the 2005 vintage from five Australian vineyards. It is sealed with a special Portuguese cork.
Switzerland / Burgenland Austria - 480 litres / 2.40 metres high
This bottle was bottled in Burgenland(Austria) in 2007. It was produced by the company Lenz Laborglas in Wertheim am Main (Germany), is 2.40 metres high, weighs 630 kilograms, has a diameter of 68 centimetres, a wall thickness of 1 centimetre and holds 480 litres. It was filled with a Trockenbeerenauslese wine from the Kracher winery in Illmitz (Neusiedlersee). The record-breaking bottle was commissioned by Swiss entrepreneur Migg Eberle, owner of a restaurant and collector of large bottles.
The "Trockenbeerenauslese Grande Cuvee Vintage 2005 Number 7" was sealed with a 1kg cork with a diameter of 18cm, manufactured in France. The cost totalled around 75,000 euros, the contents are worth around 50,000 euros. The well-known Austrian "wine priest" Hans Denk (1942-2019) gave the bottle his blessing on its journey to Switzerland. There it is on display at the "Gasthaus zum Gupf AG" in the municipality of Rehetobel near Rorschach (Appenzell). The bottle will never be opened, however, but will only serve as a showpiece.
Vorarlberg / Burgenland Austria - 1,590 litres / 3.40 metres high
This bottle was designed for charity purposes. It is 3.40 metres high, has a diameter of 1.30 metres and weighs 770 kilograms with the wooden frame. The volume is 1,590 litres, which corresponds to 2,120 bottles of 0.75 litres. This bottle was produced for the Chinese restaurant "Engel Wang Fu" in Lustenau (Vorarlberg). It was filled with a 2015 Zweigelt red wine from the Keringer winery in Mönchhof (Burgenland).
The cost of the bottle was €43,000 and the wine €31,800, totalling around €75,000. The front part of the restaurant was specially designed to house the bottle in a climate-controlled cabinet. In January 2020, the bottle started leaking, but most of the wine was saved thanks to an unusual fire brigade operation. The bottle was transported to Mönchhof and decanted into individual bottles to be auctioned off.
Canton of Zurich Switzerland - 2,011 litres / 3.80 metres high
This bottle comes from Watt in the Swiss canton of Zurich. It is 3.80 metres high, has a diameter of around one metre and weighs over three tonnes with its wooden frame. The volume is 2,011 litres with a cuvée of Pinot Noir and Dornfelder from Watt vineyards, which corresponds to 2,681 bottles of 0.75 litres. The cork is "pillow-sized". The bottle was produced in Thurgau and the wooden frame was built by a carpenter from Watt. The contents were served to visitors to the annual village festival in autumn 2011.
Canton of Bern Switzerland - 3,094 litres / 4.20 metres high
The bottle adorns the salesroom of a car dealership in the municipality of Lyssach in the Swiss canton of Bern as a purely promotional object. It is 4.20 metres high and has a volume of 3,094 litres, which corresponds to 4,125 bottles of 0.75 litres. The bottle is filled with Spanish wine, which will probably never be drunk.
FURTHER INFORMATION
See also lists under Cask types, Hollow measures and Wine vessels, and Superlatives in viticulture under Records.
Old bottle formats (top left): Last bottle
Horse foot mallet bottle (centre and top right): AG MINIFOSSI - Schopfheim
various bottles: from Beverly Buckley on Pixabay
Bottles on plateau: from photosforyou on Pixabay
modern bottle formats: © Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer
Decanter left: by User:Manfred1, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Decanter centre: Kellervinothek Dafner
Decanter right: Genussvinothek
Bottle sizes: © Norbert F. J. Tisch elmayer
