Name for the flat and bulbous bottle shape (in brown or green colour) in the German wine-growing region of Franconia. It has been used here for at least 250 years. It was first used for Würzburger Stein and later also for other Franconian wines. In 1728, the city council of Würzburg decided that the best wines from the city's Bürgerspital should be bottled in Bocksbeutel. This was intended to give Franconian wine an unmistakable identity and protect it from "trade abuses" (counterfeiting).
For practical reasons, the shape is probably derived from the canteens used by the military. These are easier to carry in luggage or on the body and cannot roll away on uneven terrain. The name is derived either from "bulbous bottle" or from "Booksbüdel" (a pouch used in the past for the prayer book). According to one anecdote, some Benedictine nuns are said to have bought bottles that fitted exactly into their prayer book bags. In this way, they were able to fortify themselves with the divine drink without suspicion while "withdrawing for prayer".
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Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien