What is the name of the concave bottom of a wine bottle, its purpose

Historically, the bottom of a wine bottle has a shape concave inside the vessel. This is no coincidence, and the phenomenon has its own name. Moreover, for many decades the shape of glass containers for wine has not changed at all, and today on store shelves there are even rows of bottles with concave bottoms.

The name of the bottom with a depression on the bottle

This feature of containers for alcoholic beverages is called a punt. It is believed that expensive and high-quality alcoholic beverages must be poured into such a vessel. Some even note that the bottom is more concave if the wine has been aged for many years. The older, the larger the deepening.

This statement is extremely controversial, since manufacturers prefer not to highlight the high cost of wine with the help of the container in which it is placed.

For a certain period of time, it was believed that the punt helps to collect sediment around it. And also the masters argued that this form is intended for strength. This was true even at a time when the vessels were made by hand by glass blowers. Today, the production of bottles is put on stream, they are initially made strong and reliable, but the recess is still present almost always.

Why does a wine bottle have a concave bottom

Today, this phenomenon also has several functional explanations. It is made not only for the sake of the winemaking tradition, although such a version has a place to be. Over the years, the production of wine vessels has been modernized and improved. But winemakers prefer to follow traditions and provide customers with a familiar container with a quality drink.

Imperfect packaging

For the first time such a container was invented by French glass blowers. They never succeeded in creating a stable vessel with a perfectly flat bottom so that the bottle could stand upright and not fall. Then they decided to make it even more uneven, concave in order to achieve the safety of the drink.

It is noteworthy that German glassmakers almost immediately learned how to make vessels with a perfectly flat bottom. They openly laughed at their French colleagues. Nevertheless, the tradition of making a concave bottom has survived to this day.

Transportation difficulties

For transportation over long distances, such a vessel was very convenient. When loaded into wooden boxes, which were then loaded onto carts and ships, the bottle cork was immersed in a punt of another container. This provided better stability and the goods easily survived transportation.

For greater safety, a large amount of straw was placed in the box. This helped with rolling storms or other troubles on the road.

Versatility

With respect to champagne, the statement about the quality of the drink related to the presence of the item is correct. Only a concave bottom can save a bottle from an explosion if the sparkling wine has been properly aged and matured in the cellars.

The fact is that such a design of the vessel ensures uniform pressure in the bottle. As a result, the sparkling wine stays inside and waits in the wings.

If you see champagne on sale in a bottle with a flat bottom, we advise you to refuse such a purchase.

Sediment masking

Quality wine is constantly fermenting and decaying - even after it has been bottled and put up for sale. Its presence indicates that the product is good. But watching the lees and drinking it along with the unrivaled wine are two different things.

The punt prevents the flakes from getting into the drink by collecting them around the bottom and promoting compaction. Therefore, a bottle with an uneven bottom is an excellent solution to get a pure grape drink, without impurities and sediment.

However, when choosing wine in a store, pay attention to the design of the container. Having a punt is considered an advantage in all respects. If it is possible to buy such a copy, do so.