What's the best cork screw for old Port?

Paul W. wrote:

I do own port tongs, but I've noticed that recently the major Port producers are no longer using bottles with bulges in the necks to facilitate using the tongs.

Hi Paul & Carl:

If you are talking about the kind of tongs that requires the old bulbous necks of the bottles, you are using the wrong kind. Check out the very first video in this gallery and you'll see the kind you need to purchase.

http://www.fortheloveofport.com/media/video-gallery

They're well under $100 shipped from Portugal to your door. If you are interested, I'll put you in touch with someone who sells them over there ... the best kind for those old style bottles & current ones too. I use 'em often, but I tend to like older bottles. I know people here in the USA who use them even for their young ones ... which I don't get, but it is a ton of fun and I admit, I've used 'em on old bottles of wine from other regions ... until I got a Durand.




Tom,

Forget coffee filters, (although in a pinch, unbleached coffee filters are ok) the sanitary way and w/out getting any chemicals, aromatics or flavors into your Port is by using food grade cheese cloth. Chefs use it to strain stocks, for tying bouquet garni etc., so there's zero issues in doing so. I've used it on every VP I've opened going back to the 1980s ... unless I was not at my home. : )

Here is a great article on decanting vintage Port that you may find useful:

http://www.fortheloveofport.com/port-ba ... rsh-method

Aha! Indeed I have the wrong style of Port tongs.

Thanks,

-Paul W.

My new Port tongs (the right kind) arrived today, and indeed, they would have fit the bottles that the old-style tongs wouldn't have.

Thanks for the pointer to that article.

-Paul W.

Paul,

Can you point me to a link where you purchased them. Thanks.

Tom,

I got them here: http://www.wineaccessory.com/gadgets.htm.

Thanks. Roy said they were well under $100. Are we talking about the same thing? This one (yours) looks identical to the one Roy and his daughter used in the video.

I don't know where Roy got his, or how old that video might be. This is the one I was able to find, they ship from within the USA, they have them in stock, and they delivered the merchandise within a week of my order. I'm sure there are other retailers out there, some of whom might be cheaper.

-Paul W.