I have heard many times that the deeper the dimple on a bottle of wine the better the quality. Is there any "truth" to this. I have actually started to notice on my own and I think it has some merit, but wondered your opinion/expertise on the matter. Thanks!
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
This is a completely reasonable question which many have asked before. The dimple is called the punt and probably first served as a means of adding structural stability to a bottle. With more glass or weight at the base, the bottle would stand upright more securely. Moreover, the bottle might be stronger. The depression also allowed for the bottle to be handled by inserting a thumb into the punt. The only correlation that exists between this and the quality of the wine is coincidental and arises from practice. If makers of repute tend to use such bottles, it may be natural to associate a punt with superior wine. To put this into context, think of Bordeaux: both the basic regional wines and the classified growths are commonly sold in bottles with punts of varying depths. Or, think of the slender bottles called flutes used for Riesling from Germany or Alsace, including superb, age-worthy examples from great vineyard sites: these bottles have flat bottoms. Last, in my own cellar I have bottles of Australia's most famous red wine, Grange (these old vintages actually carry the original name, Grange Hermitage). Again, they have a flat base. The key point here is that wine cannot be judged from the packaging, which is a much larger truth.
