ANSWERS: 7
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There is not. Only champagne bottles. It is to distribute pressure so that the bottom doesn't blow out during the in-bottle fermenting process that results in carbonation in the champagne.
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That is where my wife hit me over the head with it.
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There are some wine bottles, likely only filled with unfiltered reds, that have indentations in the bottom so that silt can more easily be retained while pouring so that no one has to drink the dregs. . Champagne bottles also have this indentation and are made of thicker glass because of the pressure involved.
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That is where your thumb should go when you pour it.
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I was told it was to do with chilling the wine. It provides more surface area to cool at the base particularly when in an ice bucket. This indentation is not normally a feature of red wine bottles as reds are usually served at room temperature.
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One of the things that I like about AB is learning about trivia. I looked this up. Here is some info I found. Punt Wine Bottle Indentation The "punt" of a bottle is the indentation at the base of the bottle. In the old days, when wine bottles were each made by hand, it's very likely that the punt was a result of the glassmaking process - but of course experienced glassmakers would have been able to "fix" this before the bottle was done, and flatted out the punt. Why didn't they? There are a variety of theories about why finished bottles had punts. It's important to note that nobody knows for sure :) The explanations below are argued about endlessly at wine events. For Champagne and sparkling wine, the indention helps to give structural integrity to the bottle, which has to be pretty strong to hold in the pressure of the bubbly wine. Also, it helps the bottles stack if you are putting them one on top of the other during the second fermentation stage. For non-Champange bottles, there isn't the same need for structural integrity, and bottles are generally not stacked end to end. Why did they have a punt, then? Here are some theories. With a large punt you can make the bottle larger and still have it hold the same amount of wine - impressing the purchaser. A punt helps make the bottle easy to hold. Some claim that a bottle with a punt rests more easily on a table, because with a flat-bottomed bottle it would rock around based on any lumps or bumps in the table. With the ring of the punt being the only surface contact, it helps the bottle sit more flat. In modern times, bottles are not hand made. They are made in molds. So they could easily be made without punts! Most white wine bottles are in fact made with flat or mostly flat bottoms. However, for historical reasons, most red wine bottles are made with punts. That's because one theory of punts is that the punt helps to collect sediment into a thicker ring, so that it does not as easily slide out into the glass. So in general, punts are "historic relics". It's like asking why we stick tree bark into a bottle to seal it. It's tradition!
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The punt (indentation) at the base of wine bottles (red, white, and sparkling) does three things: it increases the weight and luxerious feel of a wine bottle (of marketing value), it allows for a reaching pour (of serving value), and it significantly strengthens the bottle, as a flat base is where a bottle is most likely to break.
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