Bordeaux Bottles

The Bordeaux bottle is defined by its high, square shoulder and straight cylindrical body. The shoulder is more than styling: when an aged red throws sediment, it catches the deposit as the bottle is tipped, so the pour stays clearer.

The straight sides are why the shape dominates the wine trade. Cylindrical bottles bin-store densely, take labels without distortion and run smoothly on high-speed bottling lines, which makes the Bordeaux the default for everything from estate Cabernet to private-label wine.

Originally the bottle for the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends of Bordeaux, it now carries still reds and whites of almost every variety, rosé and most New World and private-label wine. Dark green glass is traditional for reds and filters much of the light that can degrade wine in retail display. Flint shows off the color of rosé and crisp whites, and suits brands that sell on what the shopper can see.

Two finish systems cover most programs: a cork mouth to the CETIE bore standard, and the BVS 30 × 60 finish for aluminum screw caps. Bottle weight is a real specification. Lightweight bottles run around 380–410 g, while heavy prestige bottles go well beyond 550 g, which affects both freight cost and how the wine feels in the hand. A molded punt is standard, partly for tradition and partly for strength and stacking.

Wine is filled cool, so thermal shock is rarely a concern, but fill height and headspace need to be controlled so corks seat properly and labels register. With corks, let the bottle stand briefly before laying it down. Screw-cap finishes need an undamaged thread and a clean sealing surface for a reliable seal.

Send us your fill volume and closure supplier, and we’ll supply the finish drawing and samples for line trials.

We produce wine bottles by blow-and-blow or, for lighter weights, narrow-neck press-and-blow (NNPB), which controls glass distribution and allows lightweighting without thin spots. Bottles are annealed in a lehr, surface-treated, and the bore and threads are gauged closely because cork and cap sealing depend on them.

We can emboss a shoulder seal or estate crest, adjust bottle weight and supply custom colors on suitable volumes.