OT. What's this for? (2025 Update)

Silly me, I figured it was so the bottle looks bigger than what it holds. The first reason, to make the bottle more stable, makes no sense. All it does is raise the center of gravity, which makes it less stable.

And doesn’t explain why they don’t have one with all wine bottles.

And wind and picnics makes no sense either, that would mean that all wine bottles would have one and they don’t. And surely champagne bottles would be kept in the ice bucket anyway so wouldn’t be wind affected till empty.

The "stability" argument holds only in that it lets it set (slightly) more stably on a nonuniformly flat surface by raising the center section. Virtually every bottle has that to some degree even if it is to just raise the flat bottom a little.

Our Amanda doesn't know enough physics to understand the weight redistribution so she's just repeating something somebody else wrote that also wasn't so on that part.

It is true on the shape and strength; I dunno whether there's really anything behind the cleaning argument or not--don't think it's a biggie even if it were to help a small amount.

My supposition with nothing to back it up other than just what I figured was that it was there primarily to be a spot for any sediment to settle to for wines (particularly reds).

That it is clearly widely used throughout the liquor industry for the visual effect noted above is, I think, indisputable altho none of the bottlers would every publicly admit to that, methinks... :)

Trouble with that line is that as you say all wine bottles have some rise in the bottom which would be fine for any normal non uniformly flat surface. Doesn’t explain the massive hole you get with some.

And doesn’t explain why champaign bottles need better cleaning than non champagne bottles.

I bet the real reason is that there is a lot more pressure with champaign than still wine and that’s the reason for the much more pronounce dimple in the bottom of those bottles.

But reds don’t generally have that massive dimple, only champaign etc do.

I think they would. I just got given some 25 year old port for Xmas and its in very much more fancy bottles than the much younger 7 year old port that winery produces.

...

Oh, they're _very_ proud of the appearance and the fancy, sure.

I just don't believe they would be so willing to admit the part of the design process designed to make it look like there's more in the bottle than is...

I just noticed last night my "cold winter bottle of single-malt" was down to where if spring doesn't arrive real_soon_now, this one may not last the winter but sitting on the shelf it would appear there's quite a lot still in there...and they're claiming one of strongest blizzards in

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Not sure I buy into the reasons given.

My understanding, so I'm told it has to do with proper storage of wines originally using corks. The cork needs to stay wet - horizontal with bottom slightly elevated. If a real cork leaks you may end up with vinegar?

New synthetic "plastic corks/caps" do not need the old style bottles.

Just drink apple pie moonshine from a mason jar :-)

I thought it was to help stack one bottle on top of another.

The right answer is it strengthens the bottom of the bottle.