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Recently Wolfgang explained to me how to use a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine. I had previously thought that I knew (indeed, some might even have classed me as experienced), but I didn’t.

So as homage to the Master, and explanation to others, I’m repeating here my understanding of the Jedi’s technique.

To lift up, one must push down.

Twist corkscrew in, but stop about a ¼″ before it is fully inserted.



Next, using as much body weight as is necessary (fret not, I have enough), push. The cork is pushed in by that ¼″, which loosens the cork. It de-sticks it from the side of the glass.



Now twist out in the customary manner. Breaks not. Crumbles not. Shatters not, the cork. Drinking, we can start.

Does this work on old port bottles? I ask because I have had corks drop into the bottle due to the flared necks of port bottles. What says the force?

I have seen the variation on this where one pushes the cork in with one's thumb before beginning.

The trick is with pushing down the cork a bit is to loosen the cork from the glass. For Port this is particular more important than for other wine due to the higher sugar content and potentialy the cork anyway disintegrating held together with the sugar glue. In combination with some other tools/corksrew and experience you should have a better rate removing corks. Do not forget holding the bt in a different angle in order to decrease probabilty cork bits falling into the bt.

There is no general ideal way of doing it; it is more about how to overcome problems with old mostly disintergrating corks. The most brutal and best way is to use tongs to overcome the issues!

But they are not always to hand and you need an open fire/bunsen burner or some electronical helpers to heat them up.

And the the potential old pretty bt is destroyed!

regards

WS1

I have tried this technique on many occasions with mixed results. My experience has been that it works great medium age bottles but doesn't work well at all on old bottles. Up to 30 years old seems to work well... beyond 40 years not so much, leaving a 10 year gap where it's hard to predict whether or not it will work. And of course young bottles don't really need the technique, as their corks haven't firmly glued themselves to the sides of the bottle neck yet.

Really old corks, or at least the ones that I have encountered, don't disintegrate due to being glued to the sides of the bottle (though I'm sure that doesn't help). They disintegrate because they're very old and the bottom of the cork has been swollen into the flared neck for far too long to ever be extracted through the narrower opening in one piece.

I think I prefer Tom's steaming solution to be honest..

djewesbury wrote:I think I prefer Tom's steaming solution to be honest..

I prefer Tom's pressurised gas technique due to the added tension of not knowing when the bottle will explode.

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I think I prefer Tom's steaming solution to be honest..

I prefer Tom's pressurised gas technique due to the added tension of not knowing when the bottle will explode.

You mean 'excitement'.

djewesbury wrote:

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I think I prefer Tom's steaming solution to be honest..

I prefer Tom's pressurised gas technique due to the added tension of not knowing when the bottle will explode.

You mean 'excitement'.

No, I don't.

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I think I prefer Tom's steaming solution to be honest..

I prefer Tom's pressurised gas technique due to the added tension of not knowing when the bottle will explode.

You mean 'excitement'.

No, I don't.

Guys, guys, don't squabble, you're both equally awful.

LGTrotter wrote:

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I think I prefer Tom's steaming solution to be honest..

I prefer Tom's pressurised gas technique due to the added tension of not knowing when the bottle will explode.

You mean 'excitement'.

No, I don't.

Guys, guys, don't squabble, you're both equally awful.

Get out of the way and let me at him.
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