What does a wine bottle's shape matter?

BUZZ: Hey Marnie, what's the meaning behind all the different shapes of wine bottles?

Marnie: Interesting question, Buzz. The vast majority of wines come in one of four classic bottle shapes. Each one traces its roots to one of the world's most famous wine regions.

Buzz: OK, give me a lesson.

Marnie: Bordeaux-style bottles, which are the most common, are narrow, cylindrical and high-shouldered. Burgundy-style bottles are wider with long, sloped shoulders, and most often used for chardonnay, pinot noir and Rhone blends. Champagne-style bottles are bottom-heavy and made with the thicker glass needed to contain pressurized sparkling wines. The rarest shape is the tall, fluted German-style bottle, which has no shoulders at all.

Buzz: So different countries use different shapes?

Marnie: Not quite. Wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Germany do still use these shapes today, often by legal mandate. But elsewhere vintners are free to use whatever bottle they want, so their choice of shape is often an indicator of a wine's stylistic heritage. For example, almost all California wineries use a Bordeaux bottle for wines made with Bordeaux grapes, like cabernet sauvignon, merlot and sauvignon blanc, and use Burgundy bottles for their chardonnay and pinot noir. If they make riesling, chances are it goes in German bottles.

Buzz: That sounds a little schizophrenic.

Marnie: Maybe, but there's a method to the madness. People don't simply associate these bottle shapes with a region, but also with how that region's wines taste, so vintners can provide subtle flavor cues with their bottle choice. By putting viognier in a chardonnay-shaped bottle, a winery can subliminally suggest that the wine will taste rich and oaky. Pinot grigio is most often in Bordeaux bottles because it shares sensory traits with tart, midweight, unoaked white Bordeaux.

Buzz: Ah, so it's like a code. I can just go by the bottle shape, then?

Marnie: To a degree, but there are exceptions. In regions that grow their own native grapes, like Spain or Italy, the Bordeaux bottle is used for almost everything from albarino to Chianti, but for economic reasons. This shape is the most efficient for packaging by far, and a resemblance to the world's most famously expensive wines is certainly a plus.

Buzz: Now I get it. You can't tell a book by its cover, but you can quite often tell a wine by its bottle.

Marnie Old is a local sommelier and wine author known for practical advice with real-world relevance. Her newest book, Wine: A Tasting Course, is an illustrated crash course for the wine curious. Marnie also advises clients in the beverage and restaurant trades. Check her out at MarnieOld.com or follow her on Twitter at @MarnieOld. Buzz's musings are interpreted by Daily News Assistant Managing Editor Gar Joseph.