Wine Tools - Part 1

An important component of appreciating wine is the tools and accessories.  There are an assortment of devices that can enhance your wine drinking experience. Some are necessary and some are just gadgets.  

As you can tell from my blog, I am a wine enthusiast.  I enjoy sharing my experiences with you.  While I don't have all the tools that I would like to have, I do have an assortment. In trying to educate the novice about the different types of wines available and how to savor them, the only tools I have discussed are the types of glasses they should be sipped in. I have also touched on chilling wine, but have not gotten into the different methods of chilling wine other than using your refrigerator.  I currently do no have a wine cooler, as it stopped working, so I also use the refrigerator - which works just fine.  

The tools that I would like to discuss in this installment are the devices necessary to uncork your wine bottle, corkscrews. 

Uncorking your wine exposes it to oxygen.  The wine should then be consumed within 6-8 hours.  After that the wine begins to age and it slowly becomes vinegar.  You can preserve some of the quality of the wine by using wine bottle stoppers, which we will cover in Part 2.  

First, lets take a look at this simple tool.  It is called a Waiters Corkscrew.

Twist it into the cork after removing the foil with the attached cutter, then position the lever on the lip of the bottle and push down on the handle.  This basic tool get the job done, but it does take a little work.  

Second, is a similar tool called a Mechanical Butterfly.

Again, remove the foil.  Place the device on the bottle and twist using the handle.  The arms will rise as you twist.  Once you have completely screwed in the worm, use both hands to lower the arms.  This will remove the cork.    

The next two tools are basically the same.  One is a newer, more sleek version.

Both of these wine tools come with foil cutters.  You place the foil cutter on the top of the bottle and press in while you turn the bottle.  They will cut a circular disk off of the foil. Position the worm above the cork.  With the first tool, also known as a Rabbit Corkscrew, hold the "ears" tightly while you lift up on the handle.  Similarly, with the second wine tool (Vertical Rabbit), hold the shaft tightly and pull up on the handle.  This process removes the cork in one smooth motion.

There are other devices out there that will remove the cork for you even faster than these, like an Electric Wine Bottle Opener.  I consider these more of a novelty, probably because I like things more traditional and beside that how are you going to feel when the battery is dead and you don't have replacements? 

Now that we have covered a few of the ways to remove the cork from your bottle of wine, you can decide which method will work best for you and take a look at a couple of my reviews to help you decide which wine you may like to try next.  Go here for a Bordeaux and here for a Pinot Noir.

Relish in some wine, until Part 2...