We all have a wine bottle in our hands, almost every day. Yet almost no one stops to look at it. I, on the other hand, spend a lot of time doing so, because format, shape, and cork already tell part of that wine's history.

The mystery of 0.75

It is one of the questions I am asked most often. The most accredited explanation is commercial: in the nineteenth century, between France and England, wine traveled in gallons, and the imperial gallon divided conveniently into 0.75-liter bottles. There is also a more romantic theory: 0.75 liters would have been the capacity of a glassblower's breath, when bottles were made by mouth. Probably the truth lies in the middle. Certainly, it is one of the longest-lasting standards in history.

Shapes tell the territory

The Bordeaux bottle, with high, straight shoulders, comes from Bordeaux: those shoulders served to retain the sediment of tannic reds when pouring. The Burgundy bottle, with low, soft shoulders, comes from Burgundy, for wines with less sediment. The Rhine bottle, tall and slender, is that of Rieslings from Germany and Alsace. And Champagne has thick, heavy glass not for beauty but for necessity: it must withstand several atmospheres of pressure.

Cork, screw cap, and synthetic

Cork remains the favorite for wines intended for long aging, because it lets a little oxygen pass through, which helps the wine evolve. The risk is the famous "cork taint." The screw cap seals hermetically and eliminates that risk: in Australia and New Zealand, it is normal even for important wines; here, it still carries a bit of prejudice. Synthetics are an economic compromise.

My advice

Do not judge a wine by its cork. A screw cap does not mean simple wine: often it is the smartest choice to preserve freshness and aromas. Next time you uncork, look at the bottle for one second longer. It is already speaking to you.

Come and discover it. With Coravin, we don't even remove the cork: we pour through the cork and the bottle continues to live. Coravin Wine Bar, Via Carlo Maderno 23, Lugano. Cheers!