Origin of the Term “Hock”

Hock is the shortened form for the now obsolete word Hochheimer, after the German town of Hochheim that pioneered the use of the tall, slender bottle. The town’s name and its successful wines provided the inspiration for the name of the bottle shape. The term was certainly in use in Shakespeare’s day, as “hock” was a beverage loved o’erwell by Falstaff. In addition to the hock bottle, other bottle shapes used for Riesling are featured above, namely the bocksbeutel, traditional in Franken, and the claret, popular in the new world.