Whereas it isn't really necessary to have any knowledge of wine bottles in order to appreciate wine, the bottles are vitally important. A glass bottle, sealed with a cork or other device, is undoubtedly preferable for the storage and transport of wine than the alternatives, which once included wooden barrels, amphorae or even animal skins. Glass is inert, and together with the cork seal (putting aside the terrible problem of cork taint just for one moment) it provides an excellent environment for the long ageing that some wines demand. The colouring of the glass also aids, in a small way, in the protection of the wine from potentially damaging light, although of course there's no substitute for storing your wine in a cool, dark cellar. As well as the traditional (in many cases, legally required) 750ml bottle (the standard size to be found on supermarket and wine merchants shelves), and the useful half-bottle (containing 375ml of wine), there are a number of legally permitted 'large format' bottles. Many of these are named after biblical kings (I've never found out why that is). Most confusingly, however, the same name may be used to refer to different size bottles in different regions of France.
