The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines, NC

THE KEY TO YOUR WINE

By Robyn James, Proprietor

The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room

“The Wine Key”, is an old fashioned catch phrase used by restaurant and bar owners referring to a corkscrew. I still like to use the term because it conjures up a vision of “unlocking” something mysterious and exciting which is how I like to think about wine.

Before you can drink a bottle of wine, you have to get it open. Whether you succeed or fail at that mission depends on your equipment. Especially with old and rare wines, your choice of corkscrew can make the difference between pulling the cork out in one piece and fishing it out in a million bits.

I’m all for the Stelvin Closure (screwcap) which has been proven to age your wine as well as a cork finished bottle and guarantees the complete absence of “cork taint” in your wine. However, particularly in the United States, there is consumer resistance to that closure, so we are still awash in corks and faced with endless options in cork pulling.

My favorite is, and always has been, the ever faithful Waiter’s Tool. Used correctly, it is the most effective, efficient and compact tool. But, I have probably pulled thousands of corks in my lifetime and it does take some practice to master the Waiter’s Tool. I like to use the little knife inside it to cut off the capsule, then center the worm precisely in the center of the cork and pull straight up, being careful not to try to bend the cork backwards.

The absolute finest Waiter’s Tool is the Sommelier by Laguiole. Laguiole (pronounced lah-yole) is a small mountain village in France where artisans hand forge some of the world’s finest cutlery. The handle is made of beautiful horn or wood, the worm has a hollow center, yet is very sharp and thin. It has built in tiny curved knife for foil cutting and the whole thing folds up so you can keep it in your pocket. It’s a beautiful tool, but the price tag is a little hefty, usually around $120. There are plenty of more economical Waiter’s tools out there, the Maximus, which I really like because it has a rubberized grip and a Teflon coated worm. The Pulltab is very popular with servers because it has two levers on it so you can pull the cork halfway up, adjust the lever and pull it out the rest of the way. This is a good safeguard for people prone to try to bend their corks. Both the Maximus and Pulltab sell for around $7.

The Wing Tip opener continues to be popular, I suppose because most people think it is the easiest. It doesn’t really seem that way to me, if you happen to break the cork; you’re just out of luck to get the partial cork out with one of those. But, the advantage is that it does self-center the worm for you and if you have a weak grip, it probably expends the least amount of energy. I like the Athena Wing Corkscrew at $12, it a sleeker version and a bit less cumbersome than a Standard Wing.

We reluctantly offer the CorkPop due to customer demand, but the thing scares me. It comes with more warnings than a weapon of mass destruction. This opener pushes the cork out of bottle from within. It has a big needle on it that you insert into the cork. Push the button on top and an inert gas propellant lifts the cork up and out of the bottle. You can’t use it on anything other than a standard 750ml bottle and if there is a synthetic cork or flawed glass, it could possibly explode the bottle. When the gas runs out, you have to go purchase a new cylinder. Many people swear by them, I suppose they are easy for brave hearts, and they cost about $16 for the tool and $8 for the refill.

Another bestseller has been The Rabbit, named for its bunny-like profile and quick cork-pulling capabilities. It clamps around the neck of the bottle, centers the worm and whips that cork out in three seconds. It costs around $60, but does come with a replacement worm, foilcutter and ten year warranty. The Houdini is a Rabbit knock off, made by the same manufacturer that only costs about $25. It seems very sturdy to me.

I stand in awe of the folks who have mastered the Two Prong Cork Puller and they are out there. It has a handle and two prongs that you place on either side of the cork and gently rock back and forth until you can twist the cork out without ever piercing it. And supposedly you can put the cork back in the bottle all the way with that tool. I don’t know why you would want to do that, but you can. (I mean, maybe YOU can, I sure can’t.)

The choices are endless, and just as in wine, each key to unlocking that wine is a personal preference.