Various glass containers for wine, beer and other liquids were made in ancient Egypt as early as 1,500 BC. However, it was not until the Phoenicians in Syria invented the glassmaking pipe (and thus glassblowing) in the 2nd century BC that the Romans were able to produce glass bottles on a larger scale from the beginning of our era. The oldest wine bottle in the world is on display in a museum in Speyer (Rhineland-Palatinate). It was found in a Roman grave and dates back to the 4th century AD. However, due to the fragility of glass, containers made of clay or earthenware and wooden barrels continued to be used for transport and storage until the 17th century. Wine was also not stored or marketed in small containers at that time, but almost exclusively in large containers (mainly wooden barrels).
Picture left = different shapes of wine, champagne and spirits bottles in the period from 1750 to the early 20th century. Pictures centre and right = Horse foot or onion bottle (mallet bottle).
History
Half the world was dominated by the Kingdom of Great Britain at the time. Many English companies had land holdings in Portugal (where they founded the port wine industry ), in Spain (where the same applied to sherry ), in Sicily (where Marsala was also invented by an Englishman) and in Bordeaux, each with a lively wine trade with the mother country. Overseas, this was the case in the Caribbean, in this case with spirits such as gin or rum. It is therefore no coincidence that the bottle for wine and alcoholic beverages was "invented" and production perfected in England.
Invention of the bottle
The English diplomat Sir Kenelm Digby (1603-1665) developed an improved production technique in 1652, but did not bother to patent it. The fame for the invention of bottles then went to John Colnett, who applied for a patent in 1661. They had a spherical body with a long neck and slowly developed into onion-shaped, short-necked vessels known as "mallets" or "horse's feet" by the beginning of the 18th century (picture above centre and right). The olive-green bottles (17 cm high, 14 cm in diameter) were made from forest glass (potash glass) in northern Germany between around 1710 and 1750 for the Dutch market.
Cork as a stopper
At this time, the use of corks as stoppers was already widespread. The bottles were fitted with a bead at the top of the neck, which served to secure the stoppers attached with strings. A glass seal was often fused onto the body of the bottle, which also contained the nominal volume but no indication of the contents. This offered a certain degree of protection against fraud by bottles that were too small.
Labelling
After the advent of glass bottles in the middle of the 17th century, it was forbidden for a long time to sell wine by the bottle, and for good reason. The different sizes of the bottles would have opened the door to fraud. By the beginning of the 19th century, instead of the bulbous spherical shape (see pictures above, centre and right), the cylindrical shape that is common today (see picture on the left) prevailed because it was far more suitable for stacking the bottles. The first producer of bottles in this shape was Ricketts in the English city of Bristol, and the company held a patent for it. The first labels in today's form also came into use at that time.
Bottle moulds
Despite the industrial production of glass bottles, marketing in bottles was the exception rather than the rule until well into the 20th century and was mainly only used for better qualities. For the most part, wine was marketed in barrels not only for the reasons mentioned above but also for practical reasons such as easier transport. In many countries, general bottling only became established after the Second World War.
Many countries, wine-growing regions and producers have created specific bottle shapes, sizes and colours in order to create a distinctive identity for marketing reasons. In the German wine-growing region of Saxony, the cone-shaped Sachsenkeule is common, in the Rheingau region the slim, brown Schlegel bottle and in the Mosel region the same in green colour. The Schlegel bottle (also known as the tall bottle) is most commonly used for white wines in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the French region of Alsace. Dark bottle colours protect the wine from UV light, which causes the wine defect called "Käseln" (light taint).
EU regulations regarding bottles
The new EU wine market regulation, which came into force in 2009, also resulted in changes regarding wine containers. Previously, quality wines could only be sold to consumers in glass bottles, wooden barrels or ceramic containers. In order to increase competitiveness with third countries, this provision, which was disadvantageous for the EU countries, was cancelled without replacement. Quality wine (PDO) may now also be bottled without restriction in a wide variety of containers such as bag-in-boxes or Tetra Pak. A new trend with sustainability in mind is to also bottle wine in returnable beer bottles with crown corks.
Protective film for sparkling wine bottles
According to EU regulations, it was mandatory to apply a protective foil, usually made of tin foil (aluminium), over the cork, capsule, agraffe and bottle neck on sparkling wine bottles. This has no longer been necessary since December 2023. This will avoid the environmental impact of the film, which is described in the explanatory memorandum as "unnecessary packaging waste". De Sloovere-Pienne was the first producer to introduce new bottles with just one paper strip. More and more producers are also dispensing with capsules for still wines in order to save unnecessary packaging and weight.
Most common forms
The Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne bottles, which are named after the regions and have significant shapes and colours, originated in...
