Today’s question was sent in from Nadine from the Meetpacking district (New York, NY) who asks “Why do some bottles have a dimple at the bottom of the bottle and some don’t?”.
Video sump up: Why do some bottles have a dimple and some don’t?
The dimple is an indentation at the bottom of the bottle. There is no conclusive answer at why it exists:
It certainly exists for manufacturing reasons (easier to produce)
With the punt it is also easier to hold the bottle in an elegant fashion
The dimple finally allows the sediments to move away from the wine and stuck into the circular channel
This dimple is called a punt which varies in depth.
Today’s question is from Steve from Larchmont (NY) who asks “What is the difference between corks and synthetics closures?”.
Video sum up: What is the difference between corks and synthetics closures?
There are no a lot of differences between cork and synthetic closures.
Closures are used to prevent air from entering the bottle and protect the wine inside.
Cork has been used for millenia: it has the ability to preserve wine but also to change the wine (with the TCA)
Synthetic closure are cheaper and on short term could do a perfectly good job. We don’t know currently if synthetic closures are as good as cork because synthetic closures are very recent.
Today’s question is from Mardy in Soho who ask us about the wines from Bordeaux.
Video Sum up: The Bordeaux labels
Even if the question is vague, here is a short sum up of the things you should know on Bordeaux and what information you will find on their labels.
Bordeaux makes some of the most glorious and long lived wines in the world (Thomas Jefferson was a big fan of Bordeaux).
The villages (Pomerol, Saint Emilion, Saint Estephe, Saint Julien…) produce different type of wines:
- red wines dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
- white wines which are primarily Sauvignon Blanc but also Sémilion and Muscat
Here is an article written by our sponsor AOC Fine Wines which may help you to understand better what is written on a Bordeaux label (original article)
“How to read a Bordeaux label?
“Grand Vin” alone is forbidden; only used in combination with the mention of the production region “Grand Vin de Bordeaux Superieur”; It cannot be used for the AOC Bordeaux; The wine must come at least from the AOC Bordeaux Superieur.
Mention of the vintage is optional.
The illustration must represent the reality. That is if there is a picture of a chateau, it must really be on the property.
The AOC has to be stated as an appellation on the label, for exemple: “Bordeaux Superieur – Appellation Controlee” or “Pessac Leognan – Appellation Pessac Leognan Controlee”
“Mise en bouteille a xxx” is compulsory information. It describes where the wine was made. Usually when it is an estate wine, then the legal wording is “Mise en bouteille au Chateau”. If it is a Negociant wine, then the address of the negociant has to be specified.
Other optional information:
“Cru Bourgeaois”, “Cru Artisan”, “Cru Classe”, “Cru Classe en 1855 (ou 1973) with mention of the rank (1st to 5th growth)”, “Grand Cru Classe”, “Premier Grand Cru Classe”.
It should be noted that the mention “St Emilion Grand Cru” does not represent any classification but simply explains that the wine was made at the estate. The only mention of a St Emilion classification would be “St Emilion Grand Cru Classe”.
