What's the best way to open a large-format bottle?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
My dad has some of those huge wine bottles—the kind that you can use to serve a whole dinner party with one bottle. He always breaks the cork because the wine opener’s spiral part isn’t long enough to keep the cork intact. Can you recommend an opener for those huge bottles?
—Heather, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Dear Heather,
In my experience, large-format bottles of wine have corks that might be bigger in diameter, but they’re usually about the same length. But they are certainly more difficult to handle, and I’ve broken my fair share of corks. I suspect that’s because these bottles are less likely to be kept on their sides, so the corks are more prone to drying out.
When it comes to bigger bottles of wine (and older bottles, which might have crumbly corks), I reach for my two-pronged wine opener, also known as an Ah-So. With an Ah-So, you’re not stabbing the cork, but rather sliding the prongs into the space between the cork and bottle. I start with the longer prong, and slowly rock it back and forth until the top of the Ah-So is resting on the top of the cork. Then start twisting the cork while simultaneously gently pulling it up. It takes a couple minutes if you’re doing it right, but it keeps the cork in one piece.
—Dr. Vinny
