The Story Behind the Shape: 3 Unique Wine Bottle Stories Explained

In this episode, sommelier Erin Rosar delves into the fascinating world of wine bottle shapes, sharing the stories behind four uniquely designed bottles that customers often identify by shape rather than name.

Highlighted are the flask-shaped Mateus Rosé bottle inspired by WWI flasks, the amphora-shaped Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi bottle which echoes ancient Roman and Greek vessels, the gnarled vine-inspired Châteauneuf-du-Pape bottle, and the basket-covered Chianti's fiasco bottle, a symbol of Italian wine that had to overcome its association with lower quality.

Through these stories, Erin aims to enrich your wine knowledge and appreciation and offer you insights into the historical and practical reasons behind these distinct designs.

0:00 3 unique bottle shapes and stories
01:40 Mateus bottle
03:18 Bottle Shape #2
05:13 Bottle 3
06:37 Bottle #4 Bonus

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Transcript

Erin: 0:00

Today. I thought it'd be fun if we ventured off the beaten path a bit. And I shared with you three wines, that when people come into the wine store and are shopping for them, they generally don't ask for the wine by name, they describe the shape of the bottle of the wine they're looking for. So today I'm going to share the three most common bottle shaped wine styles that I get asked about in the wine store. So if you're curious what the three bottles. R and want to know a little bit about the stories behind them and why they are the unique shape that they are then today's episode is for you. So if you're ready, let's get started and dive right into today's episode. Hi everyone. And welcome to the wines hub talk. I'm your host smile, Erin Rosar. And I'm so happy that you're here with me today. If we ever met before, it's lovely to have you here. And if we have welcome back now, for those of you who are new, you should know that I've been a professional smelly for over 20 years now. And it's my passion and my privilege to make learning about wine. Not only fun and easy, but also practical. I want to make sure that you leave every single episode with some real life practical tips that you can use right away to help you find why is it you are going to love and enjoy and be able to share with family and friends. I want you to think of me as your very own practical, smiley. And on that note, today's episode has some really fun and practical information in that you may have wondered why is this bottle shaped the way it is so I have three bottles for you today. You most undoubtedly have seen these bottles before. They're very common and popular, but they're almost so common and popular that people have just taken them for granted. And maybe the story's never been told. And the first bottle that I want to talk about is a flask shaped bottle that Matuse Rosar comes in number twos. Rosar if you are not aware of what it is, is a very popular Portuguese Rosar wine. And it was first created in 1942. Now when making this wine, the thought behind it was, they were looking to produce a wine that would have appeal to a broad international market. Matuse Rosar was targeted, especially to the American market during world war two, when European wine supplies were limited, it's style and branding turned into an iconic symbols of the seventies, very often associated with the music scene Now in regards to its unique bottle shape, it's in the shape of a flask also referred to as a flagger home, it's characterized by its broad curve, body short neck, which makes it distinctly recognizable. The design was inspired by the Flass used by the soldiers in world war one, making it not only functional, but also historically significant. The Is that unique bottle shape helps us stand out on the wine store shelves besides the more traditional wine bottle shapes. Now, if you have ever worked at a wine store, you like me, we'll have a love, hate relationship with these bottles because while they are. Pretty to look at, they are awkwardly shaped and depending on your racking in your wine store, unpacking them and fitting them on the shelf can be a little bit tricky, but they are very fun. People know, as soon as you bring out the bottle, what type of wines inside. And of course, it's always pretty with a candle in when you're finished the bottle, but now, you know, the history behind the Matuse Rosar bottle.. The next unique bottle shaped wine is going to be for dickeya de. did Jesse. And this is an Italian wine from the Marshay region And it is made from the Verdicchio grape. It's a beautiful white grape makes refreshing and delicious wines. And this wine has been produced approximately because we don't know for sure. Since the 14th century and it is known for its high acidity and strong citrus flavors and minerality, which makes it particularly suitable for aging. It is often considered one of at least premiere white wines, capable of improving for a decade of war. This wine can be a little bit controversial. I'm just going to put it out there in that some people feel that it is rated higher. Maybe that it shouldn't be. But if you're looking for a refreshing beautiful Italian white, this wine should definitely be on your radar. Now in regards to its unique bottle shape, this one is traditionally bottled in an amplified or shaped bottle known as an ENFJ. And fora the bottle's designed is a distinctive green color and it has a very rounded body tapering into a narrow neck, which is said to represent the ancient Rome and Greek vessels used to store and transport wine. So if you think back to any pictures you've seen of traditional Greek or Roman, Ampliforge where they had handles on the side and it had a wide base and went up to a neck. This is what these bottles will look like. This unique shape, not only distinguishes it from the other bottles on the shelf, but also helps to market the wines classical and historical connotations. You will find some of these bottles have like a little scroll on the top of the label, but they are relatively tall. And like I said, they have a rounded bottom and. Go up narrower at the neck and a beautiful color of green. So that is the story behind those beautiful AMPA fora bottles., And the last and third bottle that I want to share with you today is probably one of the most popular wines that people come in looking for that they generally don't know the name of the wine. They just know the bottle and you may have guessed it already, but this is that dusty curved shadow, nifty pap bottle known as the full Depop. And it is well-known from the Southern Rowan region in France. Now it's important to know that the flu. The pap is a blend of different vintages. And like I said, it's one of the most requested wines and described by bottle descriptor, not by the name of the wine when people are shopping and its shape is meant to evoke the image of the gnarled old vines that grow in the area of shadow nifty. I have to pap and it has a dusty dark red bottle often with a wavy uneven form that resembles the ancient wind swept forms of the vine trunks to the area. So there is a method to the madness of why this bottle has a unique shape. The irregular shape is also practical, helping to catch any sediment that may occur during aging and will helpful during decanting. Now the name of the flow means flask in French Was first produced in the 1950s. So now, you know, the next time you take a look at that dusty, strange curved bottle. That the bottle is meant to tell the story of the land and the old fines that give us the grapes that make the incredible wine inside the bottle. And I have one more that I want to share with you. And that's the fiasco bottle. If he ASCO is that classic Canty bottle with like half a basket on the bottom of it, the basket base was known as the fiasco. And there are people that say that, unfortunately, this was traditionally made around the bottle to protect it so that in transport, the glass bottles, wouldn't knock together in transit and it would be safe. But during world war II, many soldiers from America, who were in Italy, fell in love with the area of the country, the food, the wine, the people, and when they were heading back home, they wanted to enjoy the wines of Italy. Again, they wanted to take those memories with them and therefore the fiasco of a Canty wine became very popular in the United States. After the second. World war. But that fiasco bottle unfortunately, started to become associated with cheap and cheerful. If you will, of wines that work, not necessarily of good quality, but four were for easy drinking and in doing with pizza. So they had to rebuild the perception of candy in the north American market. Starting in the 1960s. When we see the introduction of the super Tuscans. Now, if you want to learn more about the super Tuscans. Stay tuned, I have an episode coming up very soon about the breakdown of what are the super Tuscan wines you can look forward to that.. So now, you know that the basket covered bottle of the candy is it traditional basket around the wine bottle meant for its protection. But because it's called a fiasco. Um, some people, there is a story that says that shape, that image became a bit of a fiasco for the Italian wine market. In that people started to associate that basket bottle with lower quality wine styles, cheap and cheerful, like I said, and they had to reinvent themselves coming up because. They wanted to let people know that yes, they had of course, easy quaffed. Double enjoyable wines, but also very high quality and collectible wine styles as well. So there you have it, you have four unique bottle styles and the stories behind them. And I hope that you have enjoyed learning a little bit about those. Crazy shaped bottles that maybe you just never knew why they were different from the others and what was the story behind them. But the first three that I discussed, the Matuse. Bottle the radicchio bottle. And of course, that dusty curve shape from sharp enough to. The three most common bottles that when people are shopping, they will describe the bottle shape before they describe the name of the way. So I hope that you have enjoyed learning some fun wine tibia in today's episode. If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you. You can find me at wine girl academy on Instagram or Tik TOK, or send me a message and you can reach me@helloatwinegirlacademy.com. We'd love to hear from you. Now if you are new here, know that new episodes come out every Tuesday. And if you haven't had a chance yet to do your wine pallet personality. You're going to find a link in the show notes below, and you can do my quick fun signature quiz, where you're going to sever your very own wide palette personality, and the entire guide all about when cells that you were going to. I love and enjoy and learn more about why you like the wines you do. And also if anybody listening is a British Burton fan, like me and the third season is about to be released later this month. Then I've also put a link in the show notes below, too. A fun Regency era entertaining handbook. That's filled with some really fun cocktails of the era, some appetizers ideas, some fun etiquette tips. So if you love Bridget tin, like I do, I had a lot of fun putting together this entertaining guide specifically, if you want to have viewing party with your friends or anytime you want to throw a bit of. A historical spin onto your next foray the next time you have a get together with friends and family. So on that note, I hope you have enjoyed this fun trivia in today's episode. I want to wish you a wonderful week. Cheers to you by now.