The solution for daunting old corks

It’s humorous to me that man can create wine, seal a bottle, and keep it safe, yet not guarantee said wine can be extracted and enjoyed with the same ease.  I suppose that is part of the poetry, the quirk of human nature.  However, for something as profound and at times death defying as a deeply vibrant mature bottle, it is fair to expect a bit of ritual when removing the cork. 

My preferred method is to avoid the cork altogether actually, and instead use ultra-hot (port) tongs and an ice-dipped feather to create thermal expansion.  It sounds fancy, and I suppose it is, but it is also clean, efficient, and reliable.  Had this trend not been popularized by fine dining establishments, I believe it would be much more normalized.  In fact, I’m sure someone out there is filing a patent for much smaller, user friendly tongs as I type.  Look for these in Wing On in the next couple of years?

Tongs have been successfully used for old and young wines of all kinds and colors, and are especially useful for older bottles whose corks are a bit squishy, moldy, and/or fused to the neck.  Tongs also work for sparkling wine, but I don’t recommend them. Pressurized gas combined with sudden temperature change in the glass can cause explosions if the bottle seam is weak.  It will also cause the cork to fly rudely in the wrong direction…  what I call “an eye for a cork.” Not ideal. If bottle tongs are not in your inventory, I highly suggest The Durand.

"I was pleased to find the official name contained “The” in the same way The Macallan or The Shawshank Redemption include this definite article, indicating its meaning as one particular thing."

Truly, The Durand is unique and was created to solve the many challenges that come with opening an old bottle of wine.  I mentioned squishy and moldy already, but there are also disintegrating and soaked corks.  I have found some glass bottle rims chip more easily depending on their age and quality as well.  The Durand is fantastic as it does not leverage any weight unevenly on the bottle itself, keeping extraction safe.  The prongs are also sharp enough for those corks that did not receive any wax treatment, so they can be extracted with minimal effort and essentially zero risk.  The Durand is a modern tool that keeps your situation in control. 

"It is decisive and almost clinical in its efficacy, allowing you and your guests to witness the wine fully as it emerges from its dormancy, rather than wring your hands wondering if the cork will come out at all."       

It's no coincidence that such a purposeful device has emerged so recently – in fact, The Durand is truly Gen Z, born in 2007. Interestingly, the first reference to a corkscrew was in the late 1600s, and the first patent was granted in 1795 to an Englishman.  There have been hundreds of iterations since and today, after more than 300 years, the simple concept of removing the cork from a narrow neck has been refined and finessed to this two-part apparatus. 

With regards to wine openers, it’s been quite a remarkable journey for us over the centuries, and all with the singular focus of enjoying these hallowed bottles.  It is with the help of these unembellished, no-frills instruments that we have a much higher rate of success in enjoying what is often a bit magical, aging away gracefully in the bottle. 

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	Yvonne Cheung
	Yvonne Cheung is an award winning sommelier based in Hong Kong. She worked previously as the Group Director of Wines for Swire Hotels, as well as the Director of Food and Beverage for The Upper House. She joins Ginsberg+Chan as a special contributor.