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From: iws@rayssdb.UUCP (Ihor W. Slabicky)
Newsgroups: net.wines
Subject: Re: Wine bottle bottoms
Message-ID: <1366@rayssdb.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 30-Oct-86 12:05:44 EST
Article-I.D.: rayssdb.1366
Posted: Thu Oct 30 12:05:44 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Nov-86 02:40:07 EST
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> 	Sorry if this has been brought up before, but I'm new to 
> net.wines. My question: does the depth of the indentation (dish?)
> on the bottom of a bottle of wine have anything to do with the 
> quality of the wine therein?

It is a little know but true fact that the shape of the bottom of the 
wine bottle (and beer bottle) does in fact indicate the quality of
the contents.  As other posters have stated, some bottles have indentations
in the bottom, as in champagne and cognac bottles.  These are called punts,
and were originally used to strengthen the glass and to permit sediment to
settle to the bottom.  (I save these bottles and use them for my own
wines, to let the sediment settle around the punt then decant them until
just before the punt is reached.)  As is know, both champagne and cognac
is generally a high quality drink.  Other bottles which may not have a 
punt, still have a flat bottom.  In either case, when the bottle is opened
and stood up, it remains standing.  There are, however, certain bottles
with reverse punts or obverse punts where the indentation actually goes
out of the bottom and forms a round bottom.  When these obverse punt
bottles are opened and stood up, the round bottom causes them to promptly
tip over and spill the contents, thereby indicating the contents are not
fit to drink.

These reverse or obverse punts are called, yeah, they're, they're 
called stnups.  Yeah, that's it...