Do you worry about bottle shape?

[sour_grapes]

I generally strive to use the same shape of bottle that would traditionally be used for a given grape variety. I.e., I put Cabs and Merlots into Bordeaux-style bottles, and Chards, Viogniers, and Pinots into Burgundy style bottles. I fudge it with Italian varieties.

However, I must admit that I do not like (for practical reasons) Burgundy bottles. First of all, they stack poorly in my experience (sometimes trying to make a "leap to their death" from the rack.) Secondly, because I mostly drink Bordeaux varieties, I optimized my wine rack for Bordeaux bottles. Third, I don't have as ready a supply of Burgundy bottles, because I don't drink so much of it!

Okay, so I am going to make Syrah this year from grapes. I expect to net north of 60 bottles. I am trying to decide whether or not I will be a purist and insist on using Rhone/Burgundy bottles. (I don't distinguish between those -- I am certainly not that much of a purist!)

I am curious what you fellow winemakers do -- be "authentic" or "pragmatic"?

 

[meadmaker1]

My favorite type of bottle is free.
Secnond choice is cheap.
Lol may or may not be funny but it true.

 

[Smok1]

I prefer the burgundy bottles but i do agree the bordeax bottles stack better. Also i have an easy local supply of the standard bottles, i need to order and pay for shipping for the burgundy bottles.

 

[AZMDTed]

Pragmatic.

 

[ibglowin]

I have plenty of whatever I need since I have a storage shed of empty recycled bottles. It's fun to have them in the correct bottle if you can round them up. Start drinking more wine out of Burgundy bottles! You have time LOL Have friends save them for you. Lots of ways to find them if you want them bad enough. IIRC you have one (or two) of the Seville racks for storage? The Burgundy bottles stack nicely and securely if you add a layer of the (thin) rubber matting between rows.

 

[sour_grapes]

I prefer the bordeux bottles but i do agree the standard bottles stack better. Also i have an easy local supply of the standard bottles, i need to order and pay for shipping for the bordeux bottles.

Umm, I kinda think of Bordeaux bottles as "standard." Bordeaux are the ones with straight sides:

 

[sour_grapes]

I have plenty of whatever I need since I have a storage shed of empty recycled bottles. It's fun to have them in the correct bottle if you can round them up. Start drinking more wine out of Burgundy bottles! You have time LOL Have friends save them for you. Lots of ways to find them if you want them bad enough. IIRC you have one (or two) of the Seville racks for storage? The Burgundy bottles stack nicely and securely if you add a layer of the (thin) rubber matting between rows.

Well, I will have to start tippling! In addition to the Syrah, I am making ~30 bottles of Viognier, which I am definitely putting in Burgundy bottles.

Actually, I do not have Seville racks. I made my own Harlequin diamond racks from 1x8's (link in 1st post, picture below).

I had a nice realization last night while rounding up and cleaning bottles in preparation for bottling a kit. Now, the great majority of my bottles are ones that I have already used at least once. The labels come off much more easily than the labels of most commercial wines, so delabeling has gotten a LOT easier!

 

[rustbucket]

Paul,

We're of like mind; I try to match the bottle shape to the variatal being bottled.

I keep the bottles in the boxes they came in when I store a batch so stacking isn't an issue for me.

 

[pgentile]

Pragmatic here mostly, but prefer bordeaux style bottles.

 

[sour_grapes]

I just took a more careful look at my bottle inventory, and found a few score Burgundy bottles squirreled away. I will probably be fine by the time I bottle the Syrah and Viognier ~ 1 yr from now.

 

[dralarms]

Everything I make goes in regular bottles, I only have a case or 2 of the burgundy bottles and just as soon as they are empty I put them at the head of the class to get them out of my sight.

 

[sour_grapes]

Everything I make goes in regular bottles, I only have a case or 2 of the burgundy bottles and just as soon as they are empty I put them at the head of the class to get them out of my sight.

I like it, but not sure what it means! "Head of the class" means that, even though you don't like them, you use them as quickly as possible in order to get rid of them?

I rather like that logic.

 

[dralarms]

I like it, but not sure what it means! "Head of the class" means that, even though you don't like them, you use them as quickly as possible in order to get rid of them?

I rather like that logic.

Ep, can't bring myself to toss them so just as soon as they are empty I clean them and put them back in rotation and they get used next.

 

[Boatboy24]

I'm authentic, but flexible. Reds pretty much go into Bordeaux, except Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir, Viognier, Chardonnay in Burgundy.

Let's not start talking bottle color though.

 

[Rocky]

Paul, I used the try to match the wine with the "correct" bottle, but stacking became an issue so I went to straight sided green and clear Bordeaux bottles, exclusively. I am winnowing out Burgundy bottles and slope-sided Bordeaux bottles. I just bought a sixty cases of green and clear so I should be able make the transition in a year or two.

 

[Ajmassa]

Seems like everyone is pretty similar. And basically do our best to keep it as traditional as possible. I 'thought' I preferred traditional Bordeaux bottles. Until I started to use labels on my last couple batches. Maybe it's me and I'm doing something wrong but the taper on those bottles makes it impossible to put a label on it without looking crooked.
So at this point my preference is the cheaper green (thinner glass) straight classic style without the taper.
Dressed up they still look like a Legit product. But What I have been keeping my eye out for is shrink capsules that are NOT the standard cheap ones in every brew shop. It's always the same kind offered. I think nicer capsules would make a big difference.

 

[NorCal]

I try to match because it tastes better when it's in the correct bottle.

 

[bkisel]

Not so much... Dark bottle for red/dark wines, clear(ish) bottles for whites/light colored wines. Hate the punted bottles because they're harder/slower to fill with the wand yet like them, once they're filled, for gifting.

BTW, interesting topic.

 

[JohnT]

I use Bordeaux bottles for all of wines (dark green for red, and clear for white).

Like others have already said, the Bordeaux bottle stacks way better than burgundy bottles (especially when I am stacking 5 cases at a time (diamond-cube rack).

In fact, I did have a burgundy-bottle avalanche once. Luckily, it was one of the lower racks and I only broke 6 bottles.

Another reason, one that I do not think has been brought up, is the advantage the Bordeaux bottle has when dealing with sediment. The shoulders of the bottle are perfect for trapping any sediment that accumulates over time. Burgundy bottles have no shoulders, just a smooth tapered neck, making decanting more of a chore.

 

[Kraffty]

I end up with almost all burgundy glass, but for a completely out of my control reason. I buy from a wholesale warehouse and end up buying just before bottling every other year, unfortunately this year like a couple of years ago their supply of bordeaux in both green and flint are either gone or reserved for the big guys. fortunately my racks have individual shelfs so I don't have to stack them and, after those are full, I store in the original cases. As for personal tastes I think the burgundy are a much more graceful looking bottle.
Mike