Not all Port wine styles are sealed with a driven cork, some styles such as Aged Tawny Ports, or Late Bottled Vintage Port use a stopper cork, which allows the wine to be resealed on a number of occasions and easily removed by hand. All Vintage Port wines are closed with a natural cork and therefore need to be neatly opened with a good corkscrew. Opening a special bottle of Wine or Port? Your best course of action is likely to bypass the cork as it could be compromised and could negatively impact the flavor of the Port.

The port tongs guarantees an experience beyond the usual besides the functional and easy opening of your valued old bottles.Disclaimer and Safety Note!!! - We do not recommend you try using port tongs or anything like them to open a bottle of port unless you really know what you are doing. Playing with fire can result in serious injury. Additionally, the tongs get extremely hot and can cause burns. The bottle can explode, sending shards of hot glass everywhere. We do not recommend you try this at home and will not be held responsible for accidents that result from the use of port tongs. Hold the ring end of the tongs in the base of the fire for several minutes until they are thoroughly heated. Unless they are really hot, this won't work! Do not feel that you have to spend a fortune on your Port glasses, but do use a well proportioned, good quality glass to really enjoy the powerful aromas and flavour profiles that Port wine offers. You would not put a fine white Burgundy or expensive claret into a tiny glass, so why do this to a fine Port wine? Do not mute the wine, but flatter it by affording it the correct glass. While this sounds entirely practical, in the world of wine accessories the port tong is a bit like the velvet choker: out of style. This is partly because vintage port isn’t exactly flying off the shelves these days.

Port tongs were invented in the 18 th century as a way to cleanly decapitate bottles of vintage port whose old corks might otherwise break or disintegrate with the use of a corkscrew.

What makes a good corkscrew?

Initially the tongs must be heated until the tongs are hot and red. This can be done in an open fireplace or over a gas burner. Enjoy the Port Tongs that multiple James Beard Award Winning and Michelin Rated Restaurants rely on for their wine and port service. Port tongs are a unique way to open a wine bottle. Traditionally use in Oporto and England to open very old bottles of port, the use of tongs to open port nowadays is rare but a sight to behold. The use of tongs is for some a romantic and exciting way to serve and highlight a great bottle of ancient port. Even if you don't use them, having a pair of tongs hanging on your wall is a fun decoration and conversation piece. The use of a wine funnel whilst decanting not only holds the added benefit of stopping any unwanted cork or sediment from entering into your decanter, but also promotes oxygenation of the wine, bringing out the full flavours of the wine and ensuring a full wine experience. If you do not have a funnel, a steady hand and perhaps some muslin cloth to catch any of the wines sediment – will deliver just as good an end result. The electric corkscrew may resemble a pepper grinder at first sight, but it is a sought-after tool that makes it much easier to open a bottle of wine for people with arthritis, for example. The T-shaped corkscrew is a great basic

Proceed with service of the port as usual, ideally decanting the wine from the bottle into a decanter for service. Most people prefer to use a strainer of some time, such as a cheesecloth-lined funnel, to be sure that no glass shards or wine sediment makes it into the decanter. If you are anything like me, you love to open bottles of wine. There are many ways to open a bottle of wine and extract the sweet nectar that lies within. There are many options at your disposal: a corkscrew, an Ah-So, a Champagne Saber,a screw and hammer, and even a shoe to open up a wine bottle. My favorite, however, is the port tong. Let’s pay a visit to the outer fringes of the wine accessories world – a sometimes dangerous place where bottle tops are cut off, wine is poured from the ceiling and the glasses hold entire bottles – to find our perfect gift. The tongs are intended for use when the cork cannot be removed with a normal corkscrew, such as old corks that would break apart and crumble into the wine. [2] This is more common for high-alcohol fortified wines, such as port: the alcohol acts as a natural preservative, allowing the wine to be aged for decades. The tongs can be used for any type of bottle, but are generally uncommon. [3] Outside of Portugal, they are typically only found in very well-equipped, high-end establishments. [1]

Benefits of a waiter’s friend

The longer you spin the spiral through the cork, the more the plunger is automatically lifted out of the bottle while the spiral pierces the cork. There are many different corkscrews to choose from on the market, and all of them are specifically designed and developed to solve the same task. Finding the best corkscrew is about getting the one that suits you the best. Whether you prefer a specific colour, or if a fun and unusual feature makes you prefer a certain corkscrew over another is totally up to you. What is important is that you are happy using your favourite corkscrew. What makes a good corkscrew?

Throughout the history of wine, decanters have played a significant role in the serving of wine. No more so is this tradition than the serving of Vintage Port. Decanters come in all shapes and sizes, the flat based Ship's decanter being commonly used for Port. Rather more obscure and rare is the Hoggit, a round-bottomed decanter that cannot be put down unless resting on its wooden base, thus ensuring that guests keep passing it round the table. The most widely used corkscrew-type is the winged corkscrew which most of us are familiar with. With the two very characteristic wings that rise into the air like the arms, the appearance is easily recognised.The conceptual design behind the so-called screwpull corkscrew was created in 1979 by American oil drilling engineer Herbert Allen. The self-pulling corkscrew is quite simple, with a very long spiral and a base with a two-arm handle to hold the top of the bottle. Often very old vintage port wines have very soft and highly delicate corks that are very fragile. Therefore it can be quite a challenge to open a bottle without the cork crumbling into the wine.