Uncorking

Learning some tricks of the trade helps to enjoy the best a wine has to offer. Uncorking is one of these tricks, and this is how to proceed. If we are dealing with a vintage wine, the bottle must be kept in its quasi-horizontal position throughout the opening, pouring or decanting operations.
White wines cooled in the ice bucket must not be removed from the ice bucket. This does not apply to sparkling wines and champagne. As for less delicate wines and pre-cooled whites, the procedure is the following. The bottle should not be placed on the dinner table but on a separate, smaller table or trolley (to avoid accidental spilling and stains). The bottle must be held firmly, its label always facing our guests. Using the knife end of a corkscrew, cut the capsule under the lower brim of the bottle to prevent the wine from touching the capsule itself. Wipe the bottleneck and the top of the cork with a napkin, then insert the corkscrew, making sure not to pierce the bottom of the cork. Place the lever-end of the corkscrew on the bottleneck and carefully remove the cork, avoiding abrupt movements and inappropriate noises. Smell the cork, which must not present strange odours, and wipe the bottleneck again. The wine is now ready for pouring.
This technique also applies to white wines in the ice bucket and to vintage red wines (in this case, do not remove the dust from bottles). Concerning champagne or sparkling wines, one must bear in mind that the internal pressure of bottles may reach 5atm. (pressure inside a car tyre averages 2atm.), so it is advisable to proceed with caution. Place the bottle firmly on the table and remove the foil and the wire capsule protecting the cork, always keeping a hand on the latter to keep it in place. Next, put your index finger around the cork and the thumb on top of it, holding the bottom of the bottle firmly with the other hand. Rotate the bottle (to be kept obliquely) and the cork in opposite directions, and gently remove the cork.
Never pop the cork: besides being rude, it spoils the perlage.

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