If you see an empty oblong glass jar you will certainly be able to tell what beverage was contained in it. The secret is each bottle type has its own traditions and history.

History

The first glass bottles are dated as long ago as the 6th century when they appeared in the Middle East and North Africa countries. They had special ears with belts to simplify carrying. These models were not yet elegant: the walls were thick, lop-sided, and the bottles were made of cloudy and dirty glass with bubbles. It was only in the Middle Ages in Italy when craftsmen from Venice, Faenza and Urbino mastered bottle manufacturing and turned it to art.

Glassblowers created fanciful shapes: their bottles were moulded in special metal bases and were high and slender, flat and spherical, were decorated by raised patterns featuring flowers, fruit and mythological characters. Such bottles were designed for expensive wines, beverages and spices and were sold only to wealthy people. The bottles were corked with wax sealed by the owner or the seller. Wax seals came to be used later. In the 17th-18th centuries glass bottles started to be used for medicines and perfumes. At this time non-spillable caps also appeared.

In Russia glass was first manufactured in 1635. The first Russian bottle appeared at the glass-works in the Moscow suburb near modern Istra railway station and was used to contain medicine. On October 25, 1800 the Senate issued a decree stating that "Due to abundance of domestically manufactured glass, mirrors and various crystals their import from abroad should be discontinued". Adopted today, such a decree would greatly support domestic bottle production!

Like beverage, like bottle

At present bottles are the mass products of glass-works. Different shapes are created to better contain liquids and help them preserve their qualities. The greatest variety of shapes is created for wine bottles: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhine, champagne, bottles containing heavy and dessert wines and special wines like Malaga, Tokay, port wines, vermouth, etc. Even more shapes are designed for liqueurs and similar beverages: the number of shapes is determined not only by functional peculiarities but mainly by manufacturers' competition. Vodka bottles also used to have different names: Alash, Wide ash, Mocha, etc.