So, you are wondering what a wine bottle punt is. Have you ever noticed the indentation on the bottom of your wine bottle? Have you wondered why that's there? Did you think the winemaker was trying to jip you out of some wine?
Tell you what, we'll give you the back story so you can impress your friends.
What is a wine bottle punt?
The indentation in the base of wine bottles is generally called a punt. Its origins have been interpreted in many ways. Here is the story I know and tend to believe. Apparently, early glassblowers had difficulty producing a flat base for the bottles they were making. In many instances, they left a sharp spot where the bottle's base was. That led to a lot of nasty markings of tables and benches.
Shop and bar owners weren't too happy about that so they asked the glassblowers to do something about it. The glassblowers found it was more stable and less likely to scratch if an indentation was left. Voila, the problem was solved and an enduring tradition was formed with the birth of the wine bottle punt. See, no one is trying to rip you off.
Why are champagne bottles designed differently?
The story of the wine bottle punt changes when you are talking about the bubbly stuff. The monks of Champagne France required a more sophisticated system to make their wine. This winemaking process dubbed the Methode Champenoise required a specific bottle shape. The wine bottle punt does indeed assist in strengthening the bottle as well as allowing easier pouring by waiters but it did have a more specific purpose.
The art of making Champagne requires a secondary fermentation in individual bottles where the wine remains until consumption. This fermentation produces lees (follow this link to methode champenoise for a detailed explanation) that remain in the bottle as part of the aging process. In the early days, the wines were “riddled” to capture the lees upside down in the bottle. The wine bottle punt allowed more stable storage during this process.
In present production, the secondary fermentation uses a “crown seal” (similar to beer bottles) for the secondary ferment. Prior to that, corks were used and secured by a clip called an agraffe.
When the bottles completed riddling they were upside down and required extended storage that way. The shape of the cork seal fit neatly and securely in the deep wine bottle punt which also included an extra bump (called the plume) to add to stability. This is a diagram of a similar bottle shape used in early Champagne making. Note the deep punt and additional plume.
I would love to discuss Champagne production further and will endeavor to do so at a later date. These comments on the wine bottle punt will no doubt create a lot of discussions but I had the privilege to be involved in tasting Chardonnay base wines at Veuve Clicquot many years ago and had this explained to me.
