Questions Uncorked

Jun 4, 2008

Hi Sarah, thanks for the question! This is an interesting one and you aren’t the first one to ask, so it is definitely NOT a silly question. Essentially, the answer is that no, it is not true, but let me explain a little more about why this is so.

First of all, many readers out there might be asking, what is a punt? A punt is the indentation on the bottom of the bottle – some punts are deeper than others and some bottles are essentially flat with no punt. I think one reason why your friend told you that punts can be markers of good wine is that one long-standing assumption in the wine world is that the heavier the bottle, the more expensive the wine. Now we all know though, that expensive doesn’t always equal drinkable and enjoyable! And these days, as winemakers become increasingly environmentally conscious, there is a large push within the wine trade to bottle all wines (regardless of how cheap or expensive they might be) in lighter glass bottles. Lighter bottles will help reduce the expense of shipping the bottles around the world and that is a good thing. In fact, you will see lots of different types of packaging for wine on the market these days and environmental concerns is one of the major reasons why!

But that is bottles in general. Regarding the punt, it is really just a packaging choice. Sparkling wine producers tend to use bottles with a deep punt because of the way they have to stack the bottles when they are aging the wines. Some producers think a punt makes a bottle look more impressive, but that doesn’t mean that the wine will be. And finally, there can be a use for punts – it can be a good place to put your thumb when you are pouring the wine!

So, in conclusion, don’t judge a bottle of wine by its punt. The best indication of quality is how the wine actually tastes in your mouth. Cheers!