Why do all bottles of Champagne, apart from Luis Roederer, have an indentation in their base?

Answer 1

It is not just Champagne, most wine bottles have this indentation.

And there is no one single consensus as to why.

In Champagne, bottles are stacked with the neck of one pushed into the punt of another.

A bottle with a punt stands up better on an uneven surface.

There are dozens of reasons given for why the punt originated, but perhaps the real reason nowadays is that it is traditional. :) easier t

Answer 2

punt, also known as a kick-up, is the term used to refer to the dimple at the bottom of a wine bottle. There is no consensus as to the reason why wine bottles today have punts, though everyone seems to be adamant that their explanation is the correct one. The more commonly cited explanations are:


[edit] The punt as a historical artifact
They are an historical remnant of old-fashioned glass-blowing techniques
They once had the function of making the bottle less likely to topple over. A bottle designed with a flat bottom only needs a small imperfection to make it unstable. In the past, it may have been safer to give the bottle a dimple to allow for a margin of error
They once had (and may still have) the function of strengthening the bottle, particularly useful in the case of sparkling wine

[edit] The punt as having a function
Sediment deposits at the bottom or side of the bottle (depending on how the wine was stored), which the punt can help to consolidate
They allow bottles of sparkling wine to be turned upside-down and then stacked (depending on their shape)
They can make the bottle look bigger
They lessen the chance for breaking bottles when cases are stacked on top of one another
They allow one to pour the wine with class and dramatic emphasis with the thumb in the punt and the fingers on the outside.
The punt also helps to force out the pressure in a sparkling wine bottle when popped out and also directs the sudden flow of wine outside the bottle as the bottle might not take this sudden pressure and burst out.

Answer 3

the correct name of the indentation is a punt, originally placed there to increase the integral strength of the bottle. Later just as an aid to pouring. the correct way to pour champagne is to have the base of the bottle in your palm, label up with your thumb in the punt. the original champagne bottle is that used by moet that still bears the inventors name, Dom perignon, the patron saint of champagne. Before this champagne was a still wine. It is only the shape of the bottle that allows it to be fizzy, with an ordinary bottle it would simply explode.

Answer 4

It helps to pour it. The proper way of doing it is to insert your thumb in the base and grip with the rest of your hand. I assume this helps to stop the bottle getting warm and no one likes warm champers!

Answer 5

yes