Opening a Bottle, Corkscrew…

Let’s just go back to the fundamentals for a m inute. When opening a bottle of wine, the first step is remove the capsule. This is done by cutting around the neck, on the underside of the bottle’s lip. Then pleeeeaaaase wipe the top of the cork clean — dust, mold etc sticks here. Next, insert the screw and turn it so that it goes as deeply as possible into the cork. Don’t be afraid to go through the cork. A little cork in the wine is better than a broken cork. Trust me on this!

A greatA technique in opening a bottle of wine is once you have lifted the cork one-quarter of the way out, stop and turn the scrwe farther into the cork. Now pull the cork three-quarters of the way out. This is the point where most “winers” :-)A feel they’re in control and start pulling and bending the cork. And of course, they end up leaving a little bit of the cork in the bottle.A The best method at this point is to use your hand to wiggle out the cork.

Oh, and the best and most efficient corkscrew, IMO, is the pocket model of the “Screw pull”. It’s a device that includes a knife and a very long screw. By turning in one contineous direction, the cork is extracted effortlessly. This is the best type for home use because it is gentle, and it works great on fragile corks best. The corkscrew most commonly used in restaurants and by yours truely is a “waiter’s corkscrew”. Small and flat,A it contacts a knife, screw and lever, all of which fold into the handle. They’re inexpensive and work best if you know what you’re doing. :-)

Enjoy, and share!

Tags: Wine

Category: Lifestyle