Many wine and especially sparkling wine bottles have an indentation in the base (also known as a bottle indentation, bottle indentation or culot de bouteille). The bulge probably dates back to the early days of production, when bottles could not be produced in exactly the same shape as they are today and this indentation provided better stability. According to another version, the bulge was created during glass blowing because the bottle was turned over a wooden stick. The fact is that the curved base transfers the pressure (especially with sparkling wines) better to the walls and ensures that the base of the bottle does not break. The argument that this made it possible to pack the bottles "Bouteilles stockées sur Pointes" (head to base) more stably is also valid.
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Prof. Dr. Walter Kutscher
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