Bottle shape and colour

Most bottle shapes are dictated by the traditions of the classic European wine regions. Outside Europe, producers choose their own bottle shapes, and most select shapes that trigger the right associations. Red Bordeaux wine, for example, comes in bottles with square shoulders, so wines from other countries that use the same grape varieties grown in Bordeaux -Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc -usually have the same bottle shape.

The colour of the glass can also help you to identify the style of the wine. For example, red Bordeaux is always bottled in green glass, sweet white Bordeaux in clear glass and Rhine wines in brown glass.