An embossed wine bottle in chateau du Pape

Chateau du Pape is a famous region of the Rhone Valley in France, where the quality of the wine produced here is unforgettable. At the same time, the bottles used to hold the wine here are also quite recognizable, because many of the bottles of chateauneuf-du-pape have an iconic embossed motif: the papal triple crown, with a pair of keys by St. Peter as the main motif, with the gothic words “Chateauneuf-du-pape Controle”. The embossed bottle was first created in 1937 and has become an internationally recognized symbol of Chateau Pont.

A distinctive relief on a bottle of chateau du Pape

The unique relief bottle not only played a great role in the promotion of the chateau du Pape, it also highlights its historic status as the “Wine of the Pope”, beginning with the move of Pope Clement V to Avignon in the early 14th century and the development of viticulture and wine-making in Chateau du Pape, popes who have since taken office in Avignon have strongly supported the development of the region's wine industry.

However, not all wine bottles of Chateau Pont-du-pape will have this relief on them. Some wine bottles also use the characteristic relief of the winery or do not use relief, for example, the relief on the bottle of Chateau de Beaucastel's Chateau du Pape is unique to the Chateau.

Chateau Boccatel pays tribute to the Red Chateau du Pont de Jacques Perrin

Many of you have heard of Princess Louie's Cristal, but most of you probably don't know what makes the bottle unique. Most champagne bottles on the market have a deep crown (the groove at the bottom of the bottle) , which helps to distribute the air pressure in the bottle evenly, enhancing the stability and pressure resistance of the bottle. At the same time, crown also helps to reduce the possibility of wine bottles damaged during long-distance transportation. The exception is Princess Louie's cristal, a famous “Flat bottom” champagne.

Princess Louie Cristal

 Why is the bottle of Princess Louie's Cristal so unique? It has to start with its birth.

Princess Louie's Cristal was originally a Champagne Alexander II of Russia for the Tsar Alexander II (1818-1881) . Since all previous czars had been assassinated, the Alexander II of Russia was very careful in his life. When he designed the bottle, he asked for it to be transparent, the crown of the bottle was also designed to be flat to avoid the possibility of a bomb being placed in the grooves at the bottom of the bottle. It is worth noting that, despite this caution, the Alexander II of Russia did not escape assassination.

In 1917, after the October Revolution and the end of the Tsar's rule, Princess Louie decided to continue brewing the Cristal, using the bottle design, and in 1945 officially launched the Louie Cristal. Since then, the winery produced other series of Champagne Crystal also followed the bottle design.