Wine Bottling Fun Facts
10 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in custom bottle labels, custom wine labels, home brew, wedding wine ideas, wine bottling, wine ideas, wine making Tags: basic wine making, bottle borks, bottle caps, bottle labels, custom birthday wine labels, custom labels, custom wine labels, design labels, designer wine labels, holiday wine labels, home wine making, personalized labels, wedding wine labels, wine bottle storage, wine bottles, wine bottling, wine brewing, wine corks, wine making, wine stickers, wine storage
Are you getting ready to bottle your first batch of home-made wine? If so, here are a few facts you ought to keep in mind for choosing the right bottle for you.
What’s Your Wine?
Different wines belong to different bottles by tradition. Although you don’t have to follow tradition with every wine you bottle, knowing the information will still come in handy. Don’t forget to keep the temperature constant in the place where you store your wine.
- Port, sherry, and Bordeaux varieties: straight-sided and high-shouldered with a pronounced punt. Port and sherry bottles may have a bulbous neck to collect any residue.
- Burgundies and Rhône varieties: tall bottles with sloping shoulders and a smaller punt.
- Rhine (also known as hock or hoch), Mosel, and Alsace varieties: narrow and tall with little or no punt.
- Champagne and other sparkling wines: thick-walled and wide with a pronounced punt and sloping shoulders.
- German wines from Franconia: the Bocksbeutel bottle.
- The Chianti and some other Italian wines: the fiasco, a round-bottomed flask encased in a straw basket.
What Color Bottle?
Different wines belong in differently colored bottles, but remember – lighter color bottles should be stored in dark areas as wine can be subject to UV rays which cause wine to become ‘light struck’ (meaning it will develop an unpleasant odor).
- Bordeaux: dark green for reds, light green for dry whites, clear for sweet whites.
- Burgundy and the Rhone: dark green.
- Mosel and Alsace: dark to medium green, although some producers have traditionally used amber.
- Rhine: amber, although some producers have traditionally used green.
- Champagne: Usually dark to medium green. Rosé champagnes are usually a colorless or green.
Now that you have a basic idea of the types of wine bottles that are out there, you should begin thinking about branding your wine. A bottle label can say everything about the wine in the bottle, making your wine appear more professional and helping it stand out among competitors.
A variety of expertly designed wine labels and wine hang tags, perfect for holiday and wedding wines, can be found at Labels on the Fly.
