A Big Chunk of Cork.
A Big Chunk of Cork.
Your in a Hotel room and your decanting your prize bottle. Being a tad clumsy, you only get two thirds of the Cork out and the last third drops in the bottle!
So you've strained your Port into the container, and its gorgeous, smiling at you. You want to decant it back into the bottle because a plastic tupperware jug has no credibility!
How do you get the last chunk of Cork out???
I've spent many funfilled hours jabbing all forms of knives, make-up appliances, coat hangers, etc,etc.
Someone's gonna really bug me now and tell me a solution that was under my nose all the time...aren't you?
Alan
So you've strained your Port into the container, and its gorgeous, smiling at you. You want to decant it back into the bottle because a plastic tupperware jug has no credibility!
How do you get the last chunk of Cork out???
I've spent many funfilled hours jabbing all forms of knives, make-up appliances, coat hangers, etc,etc.
Someone's gonna really bug me now and tell me a solution that was under my nose all the time...aren't you?
Alan
I never let the cork drop back into the bottle
Seriously, if you are left with the bottom portion left in the bottle neck you can normally extract it in one of more pieces using a spare helix from a rabbit. It is better to remove as much as you can this way and shatter what remains of the cork before it drops into the wine. You can then filter out the bits and the bottle can co re-used as there will be no pieces of cork large enough to jam in the neck when decanting/rinsing.
Just practice
Derek
Seriously, if you are left with the bottom portion left in the bottle neck you can normally extract it in one of more pieces using a spare helix from a rabbit. It is better to remove as much as you can this way and shatter what remains of the cork before it drops into the wine. You can then filter out the bits and the bottle can co re-used as there will be no pieces of cork large enough to jam in the neck when decanting/rinsing.
Just practice
Derek
Ok, you appear to have given me a solution. And thanks for that!
Unfortunately you are dealing with someone who associates Rabbits with Fluffy things, or what Alex discretely refered to. Either of which dont fit conveniently down the neck of a Port Bottle!
So what do you mean when you say 'The Spare Helix of a Rabbit!'
Alan
Unfortunately you are dealing with someone who associates Rabbits with Fluffy things, or what Alex discretely refered to. Either of which dont fit conveniently down the neck of a Port Bottle!
So what do you mean when you say 'The Spare Helix of a Rabbit!'
Alan
A rabbit corkscrew is something you see quite frequently now in supermarkets and Men's Christmas Gifts in Next and Debenhams. It's the one with the two handles that grab the top of the bottle and then a third handle which act as a lever it insert a screw (helix) when you pull it down and remove the cork when you pull the lever back up again.
The helix (screw) can normaly be removed, or it may contain a spare one, which you can use to delicately remove or destroy the remaining cork.
Derek
PS: I'm making an assumption here that you know what a screw is
The helix (screw) can normaly be removed, or it may contain a spare one, which you can use to delicately remove or destroy the remaining cork.
Derek
PS: I'm making an assumption here that you know what a screw is
That ploy of usng the spare Helix extracated the third of a Cork I left in te Morgans last night. Life saver! The reason I had a spare Helix was that I have a Tala Profssonal Corkscrew kit. This seemed to be the 'Rabbit' that was spoken of. Couldn' find the Fluffy ears mind. Maybe they're in the Delux set.
Alan
Alan
- Alex Bridgeman
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The only other hint that I can add is that if the bottom of the cork actually falls into the wine then the only solution that I have found that works is a three stage affair:
(1) decant the wine as normal but just be alert to the rogue piece of cork forming a temporary blockage that suddenly shifts and spurts port all over your Gran's nice, white, lace table cloth.
(2) rinse the bottle out with water as normal, shaking particularly vigorously in the hope that vigorous shaking will break the lump of cork into tiny pieces. (If it does then just rinse them out and skip stage 3.)
(3) Fill the bottle with water right up to the brim to force the rogue piece of cork to float right into the neck of the bottle. Then use whatever implement is to hand (helix, teaspoon or teaspoon handle or - in one case of dire emergency - sharpened Japanese chopstick) to break the cork into little pieces and force it out of the bottle.
Then you can decant back into the bottle and thank your lucky stars that you do not have to serve your Taylor 1927 in your Gran's tupperware jug.
Alex
(1) decant the wine as normal but just be alert to the rogue piece of cork forming a temporary blockage that suddenly shifts and spurts port all over your Gran's nice, white, lace table cloth.
(2) rinse the bottle out with water as normal, shaking particularly vigorously in the hope that vigorous shaking will break the lump of cork into tiny pieces. (If it does then just rinse them out and skip stage 3.)
(3) Fill the bottle with water right up to the brim to force the rogue piece of cork to float right into the neck of the bottle. Then use whatever implement is to hand (helix, teaspoon or teaspoon handle or - in one case of dire emergency - sharpened Japanese chopstick) to break the cork into little pieces and force it out of the bottle.
Then you can decant back into the bottle and thank your lucky stars that you do not have to serve your Taylor 1927 in your Gran's tupperware jug.
Alex
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
- Alex Bridgeman
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Nothing wrong with Chinese or Thai chopsticks. I did say that the important criteria was that you should use "whatever implement is to hand ". If that happens to be a Thai chopstick then I'm sure my method would work, although you may still have to sharpen the chopstick.KillerB wrote:Isthere any specific reason why it should be a Japanese chop-stick? I only have Chinese and Thai ones, so I feel that I would be using he wrong tools.
Alex
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
Chopsticks and Helix!!! Rubbish.
What you need is a Drunk at my Club, with a hankerchief. Let me explain. I was talking about the geeky things we talk of on this site. When I mentioned this cork problem, he said 'You just need a hanky'. I ignored him, but he got a bottle, rammed a cork in the bottle and then proceded to pull it out with his hanky.
Now before you think I've been on the magic mushrooms, a few of the other lads confirmed this was an old and popular trick. So I came home and googled it.
So Gentlemen, for your perusal. The definitive way of removing a large chunk of Cork or even a full one, from an empty bottle, is here
Note he uses a plastic bag, but I can assure you, a hanky with no blowing does the same job.
Case closed.
Alan.
What you need is a Drunk at my Club, with a hankerchief. Let me explain. I was talking about the geeky things we talk of on this site. When I mentioned this cork problem, he said 'You just need a hanky'. I ignored him, but he got a bottle, rammed a cork in the bottle and then proceded to pull it out with his hanky.
Now before you think I've been on the magic mushrooms, a few of the other lads confirmed this was an old and popular trick. So I came home and googled it.
So Gentlemen, for your perusal. The definitive way of removing a large chunk of Cork or even a full one, from an empty bottle, is here
Note he uses a plastic bag, but I can assure you, a hanky with no blowing does the same job.
Case closed.
Alan.
- Alex Bridgeman
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Cork removal
Agreed. An excellent and most useful video.
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- uncle tom
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OK, now for the bleedin' obvious...
- You've decanted the bottle, but have left a big chunk of cork inside.
- You want to put the wine back into the bottle, as taking a decanter on the bus is a bit awkward.
- So you put some water in the bottle and give it a big shake to free off the old sediment. you drain it off and repeat the exercise, yet that pesky lump of cork stays inside.
- You put a teensy drop of wine in the bottle to flush the last of the water from rinsing. Still that lump stays put.
- So what to do?
-?
- ??
- ???
- ????
- ?????
- ??????
- ???????
- ?????????
- LEAVE IT WHERE IT IS!
If it won't come out now, it won't come out later, and as it's been soaked in the wine for umpteen years it's hardly likely to do it any harm!!
Tom
- You've decanted the bottle, but have left a big chunk of cork inside.
- You want to put the wine back into the bottle, as taking a decanter on the bus is a bit awkward.
- So you put some water in the bottle and give it a big shake to free off the old sediment. you drain it off and repeat the exercise, yet that pesky lump of cork stays inside.
- You put a teensy drop of wine in the bottle to flush the last of the water from rinsing. Still that lump stays put.
- So what to do?
-?
- ??
- ???
- ????
- ?????
- ??????
- ???????
- ?????????
- LEAVE IT WHERE IT IS!
If it won't come out now, it won't come out later, and as it's been soaked in the wine for umpteen years it's hardly likely to do it any harm!!
Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill