Winelovers, professional sommeliers and tasters, aspiring enosnobs, esteemed wine masters, curious enthusiasts... it all starts from opening the bottle. How to do it with the right elegance, in 8 points.
Here's how to open a bottle the correct way. Without theatrical scenes or hand-to-hand fights, it is decidedly cringe.
OPENING A BOTTLE OF WINE: BEFORE YOU START
1. Get a corkscrew with a knife, spiral and lever (if the corkscrew has a double lever, opening it will be even easier) and clean the bottle , especially if you took it from the ancestors' cellar.
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OPENING A BOTTLE OF WINE: HOW TO DO IT
2. Take out the knife and cut the neck of the bottle, just below the crown. This first incision must run horizontally, all around the capsule (sometimes two turns are necessary); the second incision must be made vertically (from the previous cut upwards, so as to have two perpendicular incisions, i.e. "T" shaped). This way, you can easily remove the top part of the capsule and close the knife.
All this without shaking the bottle.
3. At this point a sommelier cleans the cap with a napkin. Better to remember: it should be done especially if dust or mold are evident.
4. Extract the spiral (the worm...) and aim it well at the center of the cork, holding it vertically and starting to turn clockwise until only one turn remains (be careful not to go all the way down , piercing the cork on the opposite: impurities could fall into the wine).
5. Place the shorter lever of the corkscrew on the mouth of the bottle and apply pressure so that the cork begins to rise. At the end of the stroke, switch to the longest lever (studies show high chances of success even if the lever were unique).
If the cork doesn't give way, sink the spiral further.
6. Now all you have to do is pull and the cork will come out easily . But beware of too much emphasis, the classic noise should be avoided because it is considered inelegant. And don't forget the cork in the spiral, it would hinder subsequent libations.
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BONUS: IF THE CAP HAS SEALING WAX
What to do if the bottle has a sealing wax cover? How can you remove piece by piece a material that crumbles into a thousand splinters? Simply nothing. Pretend it isn't there by inserting the worm directly into the sealing wax.
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OPENING A BOTTLE OF WINE: THE "AFTER" EVEN COUNTS
7. At this point a professional person smells the cork to detect any defects (including the classic cork smell ). Taking a look at it and smelling it is never wrong.
8. Take a sip , to check that everything is OK, and serve others .
Et voilà, at this point the bottle is ready to tell its stories.
