Ever Wonder? What's the Best Way to Open a Bottle of Wine?

Opening a bottle of wine would seem to be a no-brainer. You insert the corkscrew and pull the cork. Right?

Well, I don’t know about you but in the past I’ve fought with a wine bottle, struggling to get the cork out. So, short of having a Sommelier open the bottle at your table, you want this to be a quick and simple process so that you can get to enjoying wine.

In today’s wine world, may wineries are packaging their wines in bottles with twist-off caps. So, if your bottle has one of those (and, yes, they are just as good as a cork!) go right ahead and twist that bottle open. But, for those bottles that have a cork, I’ve learned over the years that pulling the cork can almost be as simple.

The “trick’ is to use the right opener. And, there are a lot of different types of wine openers out there. I’ve tried them all and have learned that the double-hinged ‘Waiter’s Friend’ corkscrew (shown in the photo) is the best.

With this type of corkscrew, you use the small serrated blade at end of the handle to cut the foil capsule just below the lower lip on the neck of the bottle. Once the foil is removed, fold the blade back into the handle. Now, pull the screw out of the handle and insert it into the center of the cork. Then, holding the bottle by the neck with one hand and with the base of the bottle on a table or countertop, twist the screw into the cork until approximately one curl of the screw remains visible above the cork. Keeping one hand on the neck of the bottle, place the end of the lever on the lip of the bottle and gently pry the cork out of the bottle approximately half-way. Then, use the second step on the double-hinged lever to pry the cork fully out of the bottle. This process of prying the cork out of the bottle should not be difficult.

The reason that this corkscrew is called a Waiter’s Friend is because it truly is. This corkscrew can be used to open a bottle of wine with just one hand on the opener while the waiter is standing at your table instead of needing to place the bottle on a table and use two hands on the opener like so many other openers require.

A Waiter’s Friend corkscrew is available at most liquor or grocery stores. While you can pay a lot for a hand-crafted model, the basic models of a Waiter’s Friend should be in the $5-10 price range.

Here’s to easily opening a bottle of wine. Cheers!

Ever Wonder? What's the Best Way to Open a Bottle of Sparkling Wine?

For a lot of people, half the fun of opening a bottle of sparkling wine is popping the cork such that it flies across the room. Or an even more dramatic way is using a saber to knock the top off the bottle. And, the big spray that goes flying out of the bottle! It’s all so dramatic!

But, if you have a really nice bottle of sparkling wine or Champagne that you’re actually looking forward to drinking, there’s a better way to open that bottle.

You actually don’t want that big explosion when opening sprinkling wine. When that happens, as shown in the photo, it rapidly releases a lot of the trapped gas (CO2) from the bottle which makes it go flat faster. Not to mention the amount of sparkling wine that ends up on the floor or ground and not in your glass.

So, here’s the best way to open sparkling wine that retains the fizz and leaves you with the whole bottle to enjoy.

Once you’ve removed the foil from the top of the bottle, grab the neck of the bottle with your four fingers and place your thumb over the cork and wire cage. Untwist the wire cage with your thumb still on top of it and the cork. Now, just slightly move your index finger up along with your thumb to grab hold of the cork and basket. Keeping one hand on top to hold the cork, grab the bottle by the base with your other hand. Then, with a good grip on the cork, twist the base of the bottle with the other hand. As you twist the bottle, allow the cork to slowly extract from the bottle by giving it a little wiggle such that when it fully extracts you either hear nothing (perfect!) or just a faint puff.

There you go! It may take a little practice. But this is a great way to ensure that you get to safely enjoy the whole bottle of sparkling wine. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Hess Select Pinot Noir

2018 Hess Select Pinot Noir ($19)

Founder Donald Hess instilled in his family business the thought that one should “nurture the land and return what you take.”

The Hess winemaking team likes to explore California’s Central Coast growing region when searching for great Pinot Noir, with a fondness for the famed Santa Lucia Highlands region.

The Sarmento Vineyard from the Santa Lucia Highlands is featured in this vintage of Hess Select Pinot Noir. Located on the benchlands of the Gabilan Mountains of Monterey, where the Pacific breezes boldly cross the range each afternoon to cool the vineyards, resulting in extended ripening over a long, moderate growing season.

On the nose, this Hess Select Pinot Noir has wonderful aromas of black cherry, plum along with earthy notes. On the palate you get medium-bodied flavors of black cherry and dark stone fruit in an almost jammy fruit bundle. Winemaker Dave Guffy says this wine has “…elegant aromas leading to luscious layered fruit flavors, most notably of rich red raspberries and black plum. This delicious palate is highlighted by a touch of clove all wrapped in well-structured, silky tannins.”

Finding a California Pinot Noir at this price and with such wonderful flavors is indeed a treat. Look for this Hess Select Central Coast Pinot Noir. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Donna White, Donna White Communications

More on the Wine Term "Cru" regarding the French Regions of Burgundy and Bordeaux

Last time we started exploring the word “Cru” as it relates to wine. The simple translation of Cru is growth. This is really referring to a special or unique wine growing area. While this area can be a single growing site, it can also be a larger region of land that includes many vineyards and wineries. Again, that’s the simple explanation. Now, let’s explore the term Cru at the next level - a Cru in France. Specifically, Burgundy and Bordeaux.

The wine classification system in Burgundy is somewhat simple. All vineyards in Burgundy are classified into a Cru hierarchy. The ‘Grand Cru’ is the highest level. There are 33 Grand Crus in Burgundy that are their own appellation. Premier Cru wines are a step below the Grand Cru and hence are less expensive and typically a much better value. Below the Premier Cru are the ‘Village’ wines and the generic Bourgogne category at the bottom of the hierarchy. As I said, pretty simple.

Then there’s Bordeaux. Unfortunately, the term Cru is used much differently in Bordeaux.

Bordeaux uses a system called the Grand Cru Classé quality classification system, and it’s tied to a specific Chateau or Estate (i.e., winery), rather than a vineyard. This system was established in 1855 and applies only to Left Bank Chateaus in the regions of Médoc, Graves and Sauternes. In these three regions, vineyards are ranked from first to fifth growths. And, believe it or not, these rankings are based on the vineyards’ value as they were in 1855!

So, the first growths are called Premiers Crus, while second through fifth growth Crus are individually numbered Crus classés. Are you still with me?

Then, there’s the Right Bank of Bordeaux. While the Pomerol region isn’t classified at all, the Saint-Émilion region really steps up the confusion level one more notch.

St.-Émilion has two Chateau-based quality classifications, except that there’s a separate third category. At the top of the system is Premier Grands Crus Classés followed by Grands Crus Classés. The third category, Cru Borgeois, is not tied to a specific chateau or geographical subzone.

So, if you made it this far in this discussion of the French Crus of Burgundy and Bordeaux, thank you. If your head is spinning, don’t worry. Me too! This is a bit of a complex subject.

For more information on the wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux, please follow these links.

Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Terre di San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco Superiore

Terre di San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco Superiore (~$20)

Prosecco is a semi-fragrant sparkling wine variety produced in Italy and made from the Glera grape. Glera has very delicate fruity and floral fragrances.

Terre di San Venanzio takes great efforts to preserve the aromatic components of their grapes so that they are at their optimum freshness. They achieve this through strict temperature control. The must goes into the tank at a constant temperature of 15° C (59°F). Then, the first fermentation occurs at a temperature
between 18° C and 20° C in order to preserve the freshness of the fragrances. From the end of fermentation until the start of the second fermentation (which produces the bubbles), the wine is kept at a temperature of 8° C.

This Terre di San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco Superiore is a straw yellow color. On the nose, it is very light and delicate with aromas of green apple and pear. On the palate it is light and refreshing. The Charmat method of producing this Prosecco results in a lightly-fizzy slightly sparkling wine. It has hints of pear and peach with just a hint of sweetness with its 9 grams/liter of residual sugar (RS). (Note that the Brut designation can have 6 to 12 g/l of RS compared to a Dry with 17-32 g/l or an Extra Dry with 12-17 g/l).

Prosecco is a wine which is best drunk young because after about a year it loses its freshness and the floral and fruity fragrances which are the hallmark of this wine. So look for this Terre di San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco Superiore and enjoy it chilled as you would any other white wine at about 45° F. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Terre di San Venanzio (Italy)