Purpose of the Wine Bottle Dent
What is the purpose of the dent at the bottom of a wine bottle?
A little less wine ensures the bottle stands fine.
The concave dimple at the base of a bottle of wine, called a punt, originates from a time when glassblowers made bottles by hand. Originally the indentation was purely for stability, ensuring that the bottle would not tip over. As bottles are now machine made, inconsistency in shape is no longer an issue but the punt remains. While the dent may impact the bottle or wine's appearance, its geometry plays no role in determining the quality of the wine contained within. In fact, the difference in depth of a given punt only impacts the volume of wine that can be put in the bottle.
Benefits of the Dimple
While the punt's primary purpose is to prevent a bottle from wobbling around, it does have some added benefits. The indentation allows the bottle to be poured from the base, using the punt as a place for the server's thumb. This means less heat being transferred from the palm of the hand. While a punt's specific shape or depth has no real impact on the quality of the wine, it can allow for faster cooling since more surface area of the wine is in contact with cold air when placed in a cooler or refrigerator.
Further Reading
- https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/616260/reason-why-wine-bottles-have-dents-bottom
- https://wineturtle.com/wine-bottles-dimple-bottom/
May 18, 2023