For The Love Of Port

Young VP and old VP ... what do you use?

What type of cork extraction device do you use for each type of Port (old/young)? It will be interesting to see what others use, brand names/types etc.

I use a rabbit and it seems to work great. If something goes wrong with the cork, I have a couple of thin, travel-style corkscrews that can be used together to help pull out whatever's left/stuck.

I don't trust my rabbit with old corks, as I fear the implanting of the screw will not be so gentle. So for bottles where I question the integrity of the cork, I currently use a wing type corkscrew. I'd like to hear from the ah-so camp, as I've been considering getting one of those. Oh, and Port tongs will be on my Christmas list.

I usually use an automatic (like a Rabbit) or a "waiters friend" (lever type) on regular red and white wine. I used them on the few bottle of vintage port that I have opened, until the most recent.

This last time I used an Ah-So type (sold to me as an Ah-So, but being actually not a Monopol, but a knock-off). I first practised on a recent bottle of red wine. It has fairly thick prongs and drove the cork in, even though I rocked it in, advancing one prong at a time. It also cut slots down the side of the cork and drove the particles into the wine. I think I will sharpen the prongs, beveling them flatly from the inner surface.

On the port, it cut the same slots, drove the cork down, and finally pushed the bottom half of the cork away from the top. I had to push it in the rest of the way and catch it during the decanting with a coffee filter. A true Monopol might work better.

I have just ordered two kinds of port tongs, overhead and flat. I haven't tried them yet, but will practise on some regular wines to get used to how they work before I try them on anything expensive. My dad used to cut cider jugs (for fish tanks) by scribing a short mark on the side, filling to the mark with water, tying a heavy string around the jug at the mark, soaking the string with lighter fluid, and lighting it. About 95% of the time, there would be a "ping" and the top of the jug would lift off perfectly. Occasionally it would break irregularly -- a little tang might be left sticking up, or the whole jug might break up.

Incidentally, here is an old chemist's trick for safeing the tonged bottle before disposing or recycling it: Take a small square of iron window screen and "sand" the sharp edges of the neck. It will chip away the sharp edge and remove the long, sharp cutting edge. Light, fast strokes. The hand you save may be your own. I expect a bit of medium sandpaper would work as well, but would need to be replaced fairly soon. Do this to sabered bottles as well.

I've been using a crappy waiter's corkscrew as a t-pull unless I am using the tongs. Been using the T-pull a lot more than in previous years as I broken a few decanters and need to serve the port in its bottle.

I don’t mind if the cork falls into the bottle as the plastic bag to remove the cork trick works like charm.

I have been meaning to buy a nice Languile, but have been lazy on pulling the trigger. Perhaps my girlfriend will surprise me on my birthday with one?

The Rabbit’s worm is too round and does not grip the cork well enough on old bottle to extract the cork in one piece. If there was enough interest, I could machine a better worm (Rabbit replacement) at one our machine shops in Switzerland, but would need to make probably at least 20. If there’s enough interest, I could get some estimates. A worm that I would mimic would be the easiest and we would just copy it and the Rabbit’s attaching back plate.

On younger sound corks I use my trusty $3 "waiter friends" that I've had for many years. I also own an expensive Languile but find the cheap $3 one I've had for years works just as good or better.

Older bottles I use the Ah-So a lot. It does take practice and a lot of patience though to get the hang of it so you don't push the cork in.

On really old bottles of Port I prefer to use the Port Tongs, especially if I want to make sure to get the cork out in one piece.

I use the waiter's friend style almost all of the time. I have collected quite a few of these from various trips to Oporto and the Douro and now have one permanently kept in every bag, suitcase and briefcase I own plus one at home so that I am never without one to hand (Hmm? Just thought, I need one for the car )

For older bottles I prefer to push the cork in and extract it intact with a plastic bag after decanting.

I'm still searching for the perfect corkscrew for port bottles. The perfect corkscrew will reliably remove corks from bottles where the cork is old and soggy and trying its very best to fall apart. I'm still looking for the wide, thin, flat bladed and teflon coated worm.

For most bottles, I will use a waiter's friend style of corkscrew. However, I also have a very long threaded T-pull, which I will use occasionally. I own an Ah-So but haven't used this for 2 years as I became very frustrated with the track marks it scores down the side of the cork - they always go through the name of the shipper and the vintage.

For older wines I will push the cork into the bottle and then either extract it with a plastic bag or smash the bottle (and then wrap the broken glass in newspaper). Sometimes I will use a port garotte (works the same way as port tongs) but its usually quicker and easier to push the cork into the bottle.

I like a teflon coated worm with a waiter's friend, having used them for many years and thousands of bottles of all types of wine. I am not a fan of the 2-stage types that some seem to love. I agree that these are not great for really old corks. But if there is a half broken cork in the bottle, as long as it is not the really dry and crumbly type of cork ... there is nothing better than a waiter's friend to remove it. Just do not forget to remove it from your bag before carrying it on an airplane .... as the TSA will wind up owning your cork screw which really sucks.

The Ah-So is one of the best ways to get out the oldies, but as Alex and others have reported ... you have to be willing to accept that the name and date will be obscured by the prongs. If you want to keep the cork as a memento, this is not the device to use. However, if you don't plan to save the cork, it is one of the surest methods of extraction for older bottles.

Of course using a tongs is a guarantee that you will have the cork intact. It is not great if you are in a rush or on the road, but at home or to make a presentation ... it is a lot of fun!


Roy

I always use a "butler's thief" (also known as an ah-so). I find it to be foolproof on both the older (crumbly) and younger corks, so it takes any guesswork out of it for me. And I don't keep the corks, so that is not an issue for me. The only issue I have found is that the prongs get pinched inward pretty tightly on the 375 ml port necks, which seem to have a smaller hole diameter than still wine 375 ml necks do.

I always use a two-stage waiters friend, which always seem to work for me. I've been looking a lot at a laguiole for a nice show-off model, but haven't seen a two stage model yet and always end up realising that my 5$ model works just fine.
I have a pair of tongs a well, but have only used them once or twice.

-Lars

You gotta be accurate and I don't recommend this after you've already been drinking some Port, but I prefer this method. .44 Caliber works the best

Andy Velebil wrote:You gotta be accurate and I don't recommend this after you've already been drinking some Port, but I prefer this method. .44 Caliber works the best

I'd go for the Anschutz .22 bolt action rifle on a sand bag.

My preferred method is to put the decanter and port bottle on a table. David Copperfield places a cloth over both and when he lifts the cloth, the port is in the decanter.

Moses Botbol wrote:...David Copperfield...

Magic is always the best solution.

Has anyone ever sabered their bottle of Port or used the back straight-edge of a chef's knife?

Roy Hersh wrote:Has anyone ever sabered their bottle of Port or used the back straight-edge of a chef's knife?

Is there enough of a ring on a port bottle to catch the blade and accept the proper amount of shock?

Roy Hersh wrote:Has anyone ever sabered their bottle of Port or used the back straight-edge of a chef's knife?

Never tried. I would think the cork is too long and it won't cleave where I would want. I have heard of people doing it. The short neck and small lip don't help either.

The way I see it; it's the cork screw with pushing cork in if need be or tongs if you have the decanters to serve the port in. I am down to one decanter, so it's been the cork screw for most port bottles.

Roy Hersh wrote:Has anyone ever sabered their bottle of Port or used the back straight-edge of a chef's knife?

No, and i can't say I've ever heard of anyone trying it. But I'm sure someone somewhere has tried it. I'd also think the long cork would prevent an even break on the lip of the bottle resulting in a shattered neck.

Roy Hersh wrote:The Ah-So is one of the best ways to get out the oldies, but as Alex and others have reported ... you have to be willing to accept that the name and date will be obscured by the prongs. If you want to keep the cork as a memento, this is not the device to use. However, if you don't plan to save the cork, it is one of the surest methods of extraction for older bottles.

It's funny... I seem to have the opposite experience. My Ah-so (okay, its a knock-off) seems to work fine on younger vintages, LBV and anything where the cork is structurally sound, but as soon as I get an older bottle (say, older than 1987) I seem to have problems extracting the corks with the Ah-so... so I guess that tells me a I need more practise.

I was supposed to buy a set of tongs last year. I even followed up with dude from Vinologia in Portugal and he was set to ship, but we ran into a tight spot with our finances and I failed to pull the trigger on something my wife wanted me to have as a Christmas gift. Time to revisit that purchase.... I can't believe I still don't own tongs yet... after the show Moses and Sean put on for me while I was in Boston and getting to try it myself... wow... what a great opener.

Amusingly enough I bought a torch specifially for use with the tongs a few months back and have failed to buy the actual TONGS yet!