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Guide to Wine Bottle Colors, Shapes, Sizes, Closures

Liquor and wine are the most two popular spirits throughout the whole world. Unlike glass liquor bottles which come in white flint color, wine bottles are diverse in colors. Dark wine bottles are common for wine packaging, including green wine bottles, antique green wine bottles, amber wine bottle, flint wine bottles. Custom colored glass bottles for wine brands is preferred, like black wine bottles design. To understand the wine bottle colors, you will know what wine taste to enjoy.

750ml wine bottles is the standard wine bottle size, and there are 375ml wine bottles, 187ml wine bottles, magnum and large wine bottles in the wine industry. Aside from wine bottle colors and sizes, wine bottle shapes play an important role for drinking experience and convey aesthetic appearance uniquely. As wine bottle wholesale, Seekbottles offer high quality empty wine bottles for sale, Burgundy bottle, Bordeaux bottle, Hock bottle, Sparkling wine bottles, Port wine bottle, special wine bottles, also custom glass bottles for wineries.

Wine bottle color, shape, size and even closure all play a part in the tactile drinking experience. Each wine packaging has its own unique code, which help us to store wine correctly and enjoy a better taste. In this blog, we will list the ultimate guide to wine bottle shapes, sizes and closures. Keep reading to know the secrets of glass wine bottles.

Wine bottle colors

Have you ever wondered why wines are bottled in colored glass bottles? The answer is interesting and traditional and historical. The most common wine bottle colors on the store shelve are green and amber. Wineries use dark wine bottles to protect their aged wines from UV light and oxidation. It is true that green and amber wine bottles keep the aroma and better tastes of wine drinks.

Flint wine bottles

flint wine bottles

Flint wine bottles are transparent clear appearance, presenting the clarity of wine liquid. Transparent glass bottles are designed for white and rose wines. Flint wine bottles are aesthetic and beautiful appearance, but they are not perfect for storing aged wines.

Amber wine bottles

amber wine bottle

For winemakers and homemade wines, Amber or brown wine bottles are the best wine glass color to protect your wine safe from light exposure, UV rays and florescent lighting. Thanks to the feature of dark wine bottles, amber glass bottles are traditional for red wines that need longer to age.

Green wine bottles

green wine bottles

When it comes to green wine bottles, there are mainly three shades of green, including antique green, Champagne green, dead leaf green.

Champagne green is a vibrant green that is the dominate color used in the Champagne and Alsace region of France. Winemakers in Germany and Austria prefer Champagne green glass for Riesling, while winemakers in the California wine industry tend to use Champagne green glass for Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Antique green is the darkest green wine bottle which provides UV protection and oxidation. Winemakers always take prior consideration of light protection to marketing. The darker the glass color the more protection it provides during wine aging. Antique green glass is classic and traditional wine glass colour for red wines raging from Bordeaux, Rhone, Burgundy and France.  Antique green glass provides UV protection and oxidation, Some white wines also are stored in dark green bottles to reduce the effects of UV light.

Dead leaf green glass, which is also called light yellow, is the third shade of green wine bottle. Dead leaf green is light glass color that provided some UV protection from fading or oxidation. This green glass is common used for white wines, which is one of the traditional green glass colors for wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, France.

black wine bottles

As custom glass bottle manufacturers, we provide customized wine bottles, like black wine bottles, differing your wine products from competitions.

Things to consider for wine bottle colors

Glass bottles for wine are various in colors. Have you been curious that how winemakers select their desirable wine bottle colors? Do wineries choose wine bottle colors base on preference? According to science and research, winemakers will consider many factors when selecting the colors of wine bottles.

First, taking European tradition into consideration

Traditional European bottle colors play important role in the wine packaging industry. Winemakers prefer their wine bottle colors based on the tradition, which will effectively connect the consumers to their inspiration. As a result, selecting wine bottle colors and shapes base European tradition will boost their wine marketing.

Second, the glass color effect on the wine integrity

When it comes to wine bottle colors selecting, winemakers always give priority to the glass color effects on wine protection. For example, if your wine is longer aged and need special UV protection, dark wine bottles like amber or green wine glass will be perfect. Dark wine glass will keep the flavour of a wine and produce off-flavors.

Third, marketing strategy and labeling designs

Special packaging is great tool to promote your wine brand tenfold. Winemakers demand personalized wine bottles that protect the wine flavors but also be eye-catching on store shelves, visual aesthetics, appealing designs. For instant, you may see black wine bottles on shelf, which are driven by marketing. After all, presentation and sales are certainly an important aspect to the wine business, and this should certainly be considered.

Wine bottle shapes

For liquor distilleries, there are numerous fancy glass liquor bottle designs. If you desire custom liquor bottles, there are unlimited glass liquor bottles options. But for wine bottle shapes, it seems that the styles of wine bottle are limited. For the modern wine industry, there are 6 basic wine bottle shapes: Burgundy Bottle, Bordeaux bottle, Hock or Alsace, Mosel, Champagne or Sparkling, Port wine bottle.

Beyond aesthetics, a wine bottle’s unique appearance signals the stylistic intentions of a winemaker, conveys the tradition and culture of the wine inside.

Burgundy bottle

Burgundy bottles

Burgundy bottles were created in the 19th in the Burgundy region of France. This bottle is aesthetic, distinctive appearance, curved sides, gradually sloped shoulders, elegant punt bottom, popular for red wines and oak aged white wines worldwide. Burgundy bottle is traditionally set at 750ml wine bottle, which is the average exhalation volume of the human lungs.  

Bordeaux bottle

Bordeaux bottles

Unlike Burgundy bottles, Bordeaux bottles are cylinder shape, straight sided, high and distinctive shoulders. This bottle is originally from the Bordeaux region of France, which is the world’s most common wine bottle shapes for wine industry. Various in glass colors like green, amber, and clear flint, Bordeaux bottles are diverse in sizes, including 375ml, standard 750ml, 1.5 L magnum bottle, 3 L, 6 L and large size 9 L.

Hock wine bottles

hock bottles

Hock bottle is also known as Rhine bottle, Alsace bottle or Mosel bottle. This wine bottle is tall, narrow and slender, flat bottom and gentle slope at the shoulder. Hock bottles, made of green or brown glass, are popular for white wines, sweet wines and a variety of dessert wines.

Champagne bottle (Sparkling wine)

Champagne bottles

Champagne bottles are stout, round base, sealed with unique disked cork and wire closure. Bottles for Champagne and other sparkling wines are different from red wines or white wines. Sparkling wine bottles are heavier, thicker in order to withstand high pressure and to tame those delightful bubbles. If your wine is sparkling, take Champagne bottles into consideration.

Port wine bottle

port wine bottles

Port bottle is similar to Bordeaux bottles, straight sides and elegant sloped shoulders. The main difference is that the Port wine bottle has a bulb in the neck to trap sediment during pouring. Wine in Port bottle is known as fortified wine, which is different from regular, still wine in the fermentation process. Only 50% of the natural sugar has converted into alcohol through the addition of a distilled wine-brandy.

Wine bottle sizes

Comparing to wine bottle shapes, wine bottle size is a big family. 750ml wine bottle is standard wine glass bottle size, which is widely used for wine industry. Each wine bottle size has its own specific name. Here list the wine bottle sizes and you can check your own wine packaging.

187.5 ml Piccolo or Split, typically used for a single serving of Champagne.

375 ml Demi or Half, holds one-half of the standard 750 ml size.

750 ml glass bottles are the standard wine bottle size for most distilled wine brands.

1.5 L Magnum, equals to two standard 750ml wine bottles.

3 L double Magnum, equals to four standard 750 ml bottles.

4.5 L Rehoboam, a sparkling wine bottle equals to six standard 750ml glass bottles.

6 L Methuselah, equals to eight standard 750 ml bottles.

9 L Salmanazar, equals to twelve standard 750 ml bottles or a full case of wine.

12 L Balthazar, equals to sixteen standard 750 ml bottles.

15 L Nebuchadnezzar, equals to twenty standard 750 ml wine bottles.

18 L Solomon, equals to twenty four standard 750 ml glass bottles.

Wine bottle closures

Corks

wine bottle corks

Searching the wine packaging industry, cork is the classic and traditional closure for glass wine bottles. Winemakers prefer wine corks for the cork material enables wines to age without going bad, creating unique wine aroma and flavor.

For still wines or alcoholic spirits without carbonation, there are three common corks: natural cork, synthetic cork and grainy cork.

While sparkling wines or Champagne, the cork closure is different from still wine closures. Sparkling wines are fizzy drinks, which are always bottled in thicker and heavier wine bottles. So, the corks for Champagne bottle should be good in pressure resistant. Sparkling wine corks are special mushroom-shaped and wire in order to keep the sparkling wine safe.

Fortified wines are opened and closed more often than other wine bottles. A cork closure with a plastic or wooden cap makes it easier to operate.

ZORK

zork closure

The ZORK is a combination closure and pull-off capsule, which fits the standard 750 ml wine bottles. Once the ZORK is opened, this closure becomes a re-usable tasting cork.

Screw cap / ROPP cap

Screw cap or ROPP cap, is also know as Stelvin wine closure which is the brand name of one of the biggest producers of screw caps for wines. Comparing to traditional cork closures, screw caps are easier to open and close, no need an opener. According to study reports, screw caps are popular for wineries especially in Australia and New Zealand, accounting for 90%.

Conclusion:

Wines are bottled in specific glass bottles with the standard wine bottle colors, shapes, sizes and closures. Seekbottles is top China glass bottle manufacture, wholesale wine bottles with custom printing to set your wine packaging standout on shelf. Searching for custom glass bottles, contact custom glass bottle manufacturer today.