Bollinger returns to 1846 bottle

Bollinger has launched a new bottle whose narrow neck, it says, will slow the ageing process and deliver ‘a better wine’.

The new bottle – launched at the the London International Wine Fair this week – is based on an old bottle shape used in the 1840s.

The ratio of neck diameter to base diameter on the 1846 bottle is 26mm to 93mm, as opposed to 29mm to 85mm of the standard bottle.

‘The idea of using the curved shape of this old bottle was to aim for the perfect balance of a “small magnum”’, Bollinger chef de cave Mathieu Kauffmann said.

He added the curves of the bottle are ‘more pleasing to the eye than those on the standard bottle’.

‘In addition to the aesthetic reasons, using the shape of this new bottle, which is more like a magnum with a narrower neck and a wider base, should very slightly slow down the oxygen exchange and therefore give a better quality wine.’

The 1846 bottle will be used for the whole Bollinger range: the Special Cuvée, the first bottles of which are now being launched, followed by La Grande Année, La Grande Année Rosé, Bollinger RD and Vieilles Vignes Françaises.

La Côte aux Enfants will remain in the traditional bottle.

Written by Adam Lechmere