<Ul> <Li> It is a historical remnant from the era when wine bottles were free blown using a blowpipe and pontil . This technique leaves a punt mark on the base of the bottle; by indenting the point where the pontil is attached, this scar would not scratch the table or make the bottle unstable . </Li> <Li> It had the function of making the bottle less likely to topple over--a bottle designed with a flat bottom only needs a small imperfection to make it unstable--the dimple historically allowed for a larger margin of error . </Li> <Li> It consolidates sediment deposits in a thick ring at the bottom of the bottle, preventing much / most of it from being poured into the glass; this may be more an historical than a functional attribute since most modern wines contain little or no sediment . </Li> <Li> It increases the strength of the bottle, allowing it to hold the high pressure of sparkling wine / champagne . </Li> <Li> It provides a grip for riddling a bottle of sparkling wine manually in the traditional champagne production process . </Li> <Li> It consumes some volume of the bottle, allowing the bottle to appear larger for the same amount of wine, which may impress the purchaser . </Li> <Li> Taverns had a steel pin set vertically in the bar . The empty bottle would be thrust bottom - end down onto this pin, puncturing a hole in the top of the punt, guaranteeing the bottle could not be refilled (folklore). </Li> <Li> It prevents the bottle from resonating as easily, decreasing the likelihood of shattering during transportation . </Li> <Li> It allows bottles to be more easily stacked end to end . </Li> <Li> Bottles could be stacked in cargo holds on ships without rolling around and breaking . </Li> <Li> It makes the bottle easier to clean prior to filling with wine . When a stream of water is injected into the bottle and impacts the punt, it is distributed throughout the bottom of the bottle and removes residues . </Li> </Ul> <Li> It is a historical remnant from the era when wine bottles were free blown using a blowpipe and pontil . This technique leaves a punt mark on the base of the bottle; by indenting the point where the pontil is attached, this scar would not scratch the table or make the bottle unstable . </Li> <Li> It had the function of making the bottle less likely to topple over--a bottle designed with a flat bottom only needs a small imperfection to make it unstable--the dimple historically allowed for a larger margin of error . </Li> <Li> It consolidates sediment deposits in a thick ring at the bottom of the bottle, preventing much / most of it from being poured into the glass; this may be more an historical than a functional attribute since most modern wines contain little or no sediment . </Li>

How many normal-sized bottles of champagne (750ml) make up a magnum