How do you open a bottle of Porto?

El Oporto vintage es un vino con una vida muy larga y extraer el corcho a una botella con más de 25 años utilizando un sacacorchos podría significar la rotura del corcho debido a su fragilidad. Las botellas que lo contienen se diseñan para que estén almacenadas durante un largo tiempo con el fin de que mosto y brandy “casen” y se suavicen. En el Reino Unido existe aún el convencimiento de comprar una caja de Oporto cuando nace una varón y guardarla para beberlo cuando el hijo es adulto.

The neck of a bottle of vintage port, tall and slightly domed, contains a very long cork. If the bottle is kept for over twenty years, the cork can soften and become brittle and very fragile, which tend to break when trying to remove a conventional corkscrew. In such a situation, it is virtually impossible to remove the normal way.

To avoid breaking the cork, using special tongs Porto previously heated red hot, either on the stack or in the flame of a gas appliance. With them grabs the neck of the bottle for half minute. Then rub the hot with a damp cloth or, if you want to add a touch of class with a quill dipped in cold water, in this way, due to temperature change, then you will hear a slight crunch, which will indicate the neck of the bottle is broken circle cleanly, leaving separate upper neck containing cork.

The cork still intact and protruding a little, there prevented any piece of glass has fallen into wine, although typically the cut is so clean that even small fragments shows

An impressive trick, is not it, but more importantly, it works. Besides being a ritual that brings solemnity when faced with a few years Oporto.