A corked bottle of wine

A corkpull (see below)

Appropriate glasses

Optional:

A decanter, for best results with red wine

1 - 2 minutes to open the bottle
1/2 hour for red wine to "breathe"

Be careful not to allow any bits of cork to fall back into the bottle when the cork comes out. Pour a small amount of wine into the host's glass for tasting to make sure it is fit for the guests. Any bits of cork should be left in this "tasting glass."

To quickly chill a bottle of white or sparkling wine, put the bottle into a mixture of ice cubes and a little water. Turn the bottle every few minutes, and give it as long as you can (hopefully at least fifteen minutes) before popping the cork.

Have a glass handy when opening sparkling wines. A quickly fizzing bottle can be saved by pouring it off quickly into the glass.

2torial #0587: Learn2 Open and Serve Wine and Champagne Hey, where's the screw-top? Now that you've gone and spent a few bucks on a nice bottle of wine, wouldn't it be nice to be able to open it up with a casual flair? Don't you want to know what a decanter is? And most importantly, do you really want to make that champagne cork fly across the room, and take out the antique cut-glass collection? Apart from the rigidly enforced "dozen cardinal rules" of wine service, there are some simple, casual guidelines that will help convince your new in-laws that you've been doing this all your life. Remember that anything involving wine should be enjoyable. When you successfully pour a cork-free glass of red wine that has been allowed to breathe properly, appreciate it. On the other hand, if the cork breaks in half, and won't come out, what the heck! Push it into the bottle, pick out the bits of cork and stop worrying. The world hasn't come to an end. Thinking ahead Champagne, sparkling wine and white wine are best when served well-chilled. Red wine, on the other hand is best opened when only slightly cooler than room temperature. To accomplish this: Put white wine in the refrigerator at least two hours before you plan to open it. Champagne or sparkling wine can go in even earlier than that. Red wine (really any wine) should not be kept in sunny areas, or on top of the refrigerator. Find a cool, dry place where the temperature remains fairly consistent year-round. Generally this means places like dry cellars and basements, as well as less obvious places, such as under the stairs or in ground floor closets. It is important not to disturb wine bottles too much before opening them. Some red wines have sediment which should be allowed to settle to the bottom. Sparkling wines should not be agitated if the server wants any of it to remain in the bottle after opening! Choosing your weapon There are quite a few different corkpulls on the market nowadays, and we'll cover three of them: the traditional waiter's pull, the winglever and the two pronged "dishonest butler" (so named because it doesn't destroy the cork). Remove the foil completely from the bottle's neck. Use a sharp tool to slice the bottom edge of the foil and peel it off by turning your hand around the bottle. Wipe off the top of the bottle with a cloth or napkin to remove any metal residue. Using a waiters pull: place the bottle upright on a flat surface or securely hold it between your knees at a slight angle, with the top easily accessible. Firmly place the point of the corkscrew in the center of the cork, and twist it straight in, until the screw part is completely in the cork. Pivot the corkpull, so that the forked indentation grips the edge of the bottle's mouth and the pull's handle is pointed down. Grasp the handle firmly and pull straight up. Using a winged pull: place the bottle upright on a flat surface. Position the point of the corkscrew over the center of the cork. Firmly grasp both the bottle neck and the barrel of the pull under the wings with one hand. Twist the corkscrew by the "key" at the top until the round mouth of the pull is seated over the mouth of the bottle. Allow the wings to rise until they won't go up any farther. Put a hand on each wing and push them all the way down. The cork should draw out of the bottle. If any part of the cork remains in the neck, grasp the entire corkpull in one hand and gently pull it straight out. Using the "dishonest butler:" place the bottle upright on a flat surface. Gently insert the tip of the longer prong between the edge of the bottle and the cork. Now bend the thing so that you can insert the other prong between the other side of the cork and the edge of the bottle. Once you've got both prongs between the cork and the bottle's edge, grasp the top of the pull and rock it back and forth. The prongs should sink further in with each movement. When the handle is right up against the top of the bottle, pull the cork out with a slow twisting motion, clockwise for righties, counterclockwise for lefties. Opening a bottle of sparkling wine - This includes French champagne, as well as sparkling white and rosé wines from any other country. The first method here is the correct one to use when you would like the wine to taste its best. Use the second method when consumption is not as important as the fun of watching corks fly around the room. Correct Method, Step 1: Securely hold the bottle at a slight angle, with the top easily accessible. Remove the foil and wire cage from the bottle, being careful not to aim the bottle at anyone (no fooling around here). Correct Method, Step 2: Firmly grasp the cork with your palm over the top of it and gently twist the bottle, not the cork. You'll be able to feel the cork sliding free by itself, and you'll need to keep it under control so that the cork "pops" as little as possible. Try to insure that it only makes a little 'gasp' when it comes out, and the wine shouldn't froth. Fun Method, Step 1: Securely hold the bottle at a slight angle, with the top easily accessible. Remove the foil and wire cage from the bottle, being careful not to aim the bottle at anyone (no fooling around here either). Fun Method, Step 2: Now point the bottle away from you or anyone else, and grasp it by the neck with both hands. Press your thumbs against the sides of the cork, and first press on one side, then the other. By rocking the cork like you mean it, it will first creep out, and then pop out of the bottle. After it flies across the room, froth will pour out and everyone will laugh. Have those glasses handy to catch the bubbly. Serving the wine It's nice to have the proper glasses to drink from. Red wine glasses are wider at the mouth and rounder than white wine glasses to allow for swirling and sniffing. White wine glasses are generally taller and have longer stems to keep the wine cold longer. Sparkling wine glasses are typically much narrower, so that the bubbles last longer. White wines may be served immediately after opening. Good red wines will benefit from being allowed to "breathe" for half an hour. The idea is to get as much surface area as possible, to allow as much wine as possible to come into contact with the air, while not disturbing it too much. The process of decanting will allow your wine to breathe. Decant wine by gently pouring it into another container. Not only does this provide the neccessary surface area, but any sediment present (most likely in very old or unfiltered wines) should stay in the bottle. If no decanter is available, pour off a half-glass 15-30 minutes before serving and let both the glass and bottle sit. When pouring sparkling wines, wrap the bottle in a cloth napkin (clockwise, of course, darling!) for effect and to insulate the bottle from your warm hand. Tilt the glass, and pour down the side of it to minimize frothing. If you don't finish your wine in one sitting, here are some tips for saving what's left. White wine will generally keep in the refrigerator for four to five days once it's opened. Red wine, if you keep it at room temperature, will only last up to two days. The less air that gets to it, the better, so keep the cork! Transferring your wine to a smaller container, such as a clean 350ml bottle, and corking it tightly will help preserve it longer. Products you can use for preservation include cans of inert gases that settle over the surface of the wine in the bottle (these can be expensive), and vacuum pumps that expel most of the air from a bottle and seal it with a rubber stop. Remember to enjoy it! -end- Learn More!