The bottle: how it's made and why it's made that way

The bottle has a well-defined and tapered shape. Starting from the top, it consists of: neck, often with a typical ring called a "collar," shoulder, body, and base, which may or may not have a characteristic indentation on the bottom.

The neck is the narrowest part, and at its end is the opening that allows the wine to be poured.
The collar is the ring to which the cork was once tied with strings, while nowadays metal cages are often used for sparkling wines.
The shoulder serves the practical function of filtering sediment during pouring, which is why it is suitable for aged wines, often red wines, whereas for others the curvature is less pronounced.
The body is the largest portion and is sometimes perfectly cylindrical, sometimes bulging, or even quite sturdy.
The base provides support. The bottom is often indented because, traditionally, when glass was blown, the base was folded inward to allow the bottle to stand upright. This feature has remained and now helps trap sediment in aged wines. It should be noted that not all bottles have this indentation.

Now all that remains is to buy a fine bottle, examine it, remember these little bits of wisdom, and then… uncork it! Cheers!

Fabio De Vecchi