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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Wine question

Posted: 6/14/2009 3:18:27 PM EDT

Why do they have that bump in the bottom of a wine bottle?

Posted: 6/14/2009 3:25:00 PM EDT

[#1]

It makes it look like more wine / bigger bottle.

Posted: 6/14/2009 3:28:16 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
It makes it look like more wine / bigger bottle.

basically - no real reason but its also more common on the better wines. By better I mean, not the $6-10 bottle stuff.

Posted: 6/14/2009 3:28:31 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:

Why do they have that bump in the bottom of a wine bottle?

It is called a punt...the reasons for it being there have been disputed. Wikipedia has this to say:

A punt, also known as a kick-up, refers to the dimple at the bottom
of a wine bottle. There is no consensus explanation for its purpose.
The more commonly cited explanations include:^{[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_bottle#cite_note-Johnson000-0][1][/url]}

it is a historical remnant from the era when wine bottles were free blown using a blowpipe and pontil. This technique leaves a punt mark on the base of the bottle; by indenting the point where the pontil is attached, this scar would not scratch the table or make the bottle unstable.

it had the function of making the bottle less likely to topple over
–– a bottle designed with a flat bottom only needs a small imperfection
to make it unstable –– the dimple historically allowed for a larger
margin of error

it consolidates sediment deposits in a thick ring at the bottom of the bottle, preventing it from being poured into the glass;^{[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_bottle#cite_note-5][6][/url]}

it increases the strength of the bottle, allowing it to hold the high pressure of sparkling wine/champagne

it holds the bottles in place on pegs of a conveyor belt as they go through the filling process in manufacturing plants

it accommodates the pourer's thumb for stability and ease of pouring

According to legend the punt was used by servants. They often knew
more than their master about what was happening in town, and with a
thumb up the punt they could show their master whether a guest was
reliable or not. (Vinavisen 19 may 2008 - danish)

it provides a grip for riddling a bottle of sparkling wine manually in the traditional champagne production process.

it simply takes up some of the volume of the bottle, giving the
impression that you're getting more wine for your money than is
actually the case

Taverns had a steel pin set vertically in the bar. The empty bottle
would be thrust bottom-end down onto this pin, puncturing a hole in the
top of the punt, guaranteeing the bottle could not be refilled
[folklore].

The punt acts as a lens, refracting the light to make the color of the wine more appealing.

Prevents the bottle from resonating as easily, decreasing the likelihood of shattering during transportation.

Allows bottles to be more easily stacked end to end. ^{[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_bottle#cite_note-6][7][/url]}

Posted: 6/14/2009 3:29:55 PM EDT

[#4]

It's to let the sediment settle on the bottom.

The shape of the top of the bottle, with the top having a bit of a bulge, is there for the same reason - to stop sediment from going into your glass.

Posted: 6/14/2009 3:31:00 PM EDT

[#5]

Debate all you want, it is for pressure resistance. Period.

Glass has poor tensile strength in bending, the inward dome places the glass in compression, where it has great resistance. The rest of the bottle is simply loaded in tensile stress.

Posted: 6/14/2009 3:34:09 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:

Debate all you want, it is for pressure resistance. Period.

Glass has poor tensile strength in bending, the inward dome places the glass in compression, where it has great resistance. The rest of the bottle is simply loaded in tensile stress.

Great for champagne bottles. But a regular wine bottle is not a pressure vessel.

Posted: 6/14/2009 3:36:43 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Debate all you want, it is for pressure resistance. Period.

Glass has poor tensile strength in bending, the inward dome places the glass in compression, where it has great resistance. The rest of the bottle is simply loaded in tensile stress.

Yes. It's called a kick, and makes the bottle stronger and resistant to breakage

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Wine question

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