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Simple Tip: How to Pop the Cork!

YumSugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:57:32 -0800

Whenever there's champagne at a party, I always end up being the cork-popper. It's a relatively new responsibility of mine; just a few years ago I couldn't handle it. I always assumed I'd break a window, or shoot someone's eye out. However, now that I have the hang of it, I actually enjoy it. There's something exciting about the pop! If you wish to learn how to do it, hopefully these tips will help out.

First of all, make sure the champagne is chilled. A chilled bottle is less likely to pop on its own, besides champagne tastes better cold.
Once you take the bottle out of the fridge, remove the foil wrapping to expose a wire cage-like covering. There should be a twisted bit of wire holding it in place. Find the wire and turn it - there's a little loop for you to hang on to - about six half-turns. When loose, remove the cage.

To find out what to do next, read more.

At this point, I always place a tea towel over the cork, but not everyone does it this way. I just find it is easier to grip the cork, and if it does fly out, you've got it - more or less - covered. So, with or without tea towel. grab the cork firmly with one hand. Hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle and hold the base of it with your other hand. Be sure to point it away from all your guests, windows and expensive breakables. I also like to hold it over the sink just in case.
Next, while holding on to the cork, twist the bottle slowly. If you do it correctly, you won't really have a huge pop, but more of a little whisper. It's better to twist the bottle, but if you can't go ahead and twist the cork; I do it in half turns alternating each direction. Just make sure to keep your grip firm, and nothing will break, nothing will fly and champagne will be had by all!

Oh and never use a corkscrew on a champagne cork. There is so much pressure inside that you run the risk of having the bottle explode.

Do you have a special cork-popping technique? Share it with us below!

Cork In Your Wine? Don't Fret!

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:57:31 -0700

Imagine this, you're hosting a fancy dinner party and you've brought out a nice bottle of wine to go along with it - only when you go to uncork it, the cork breaks and you're left with bits of cork in your wine. So what do you do? Do you pour the wine, apologize to everyone and have them fish out the bits? You could, but that seems a bit embarrassing. So here's a simple tip to help you avoid all of that: Just take a few layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter and secure it around the top of the bottle with a rubber band. Now you can pour the wine and any bits of cork will get left behind. Cheers!

Rubber Corks: Love Them or Hate Them?

partysugar — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:00:23 -0700

I dislike rubber corks. Sure, I appreciate their usefulness, (rubber corks protect against tainted or "corked" wine) but I simply can't stand them. Rubber corks are much harder to remove than their natural counterparts; I've broken more than one wine opener while trying to pull a rubber cork out; and after the bottle is open, the rubber corks never slide easily back inside. Am I overreacting? Does anyone else have a problem with rubber corks?

Yummy Links: From Green Cake to Broken Corks

partysugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:50:45 -0700

Celebrate the color green with a kiwi matcha lime tea cake. - Cooking With Amy
Is CBS making a knockoff of The Chopping Block? - Eater
Learn how to make an amazing tomato salsa. - Serious Eats
Could it be time to put a fork in Top Chef Masters? - Grub Street
A week of no-cook dinners. - Bon Appétit
Another reason to dislike Kelly Choi: her annoying tweets. - Eat Me Daily
What to do when you break a wine cork. - Chow

How to Tell if Wine Has Gone Bad

partysugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:15:22 -0800

Last week my girlfriend Kristal inherited 80 bottles of wine. She invited me over to browse the boxes and taste some of the vintages. The bulk of the wine was from the late '80s and early to mid 90s. While we immediately spotted a couple of valuable bottles, the vast majority were bottles we knew nothing about. Our main concern was finding out if the wine was drinkable. Not all wine is ideal for storing. If it's been in contact with air for too long or has a tainted cork, the liquid inside has turned and should not be consumed. To find out the signs that show a good wine has gone bad, read more.

The smell is off. If a wine's aroma is moldy or resembles a musty basement, wet cardboard, or vinegar, it's turned. A heavy raisin smell is another bad signal.
Avoid red wines that are not Port, but have the aroma typically characteristic of Port. When wine tastes like dessert wine, it has been overexposed to heat, and is therefore undrinkable.
When the cork is pushed out slightly from the bottle, it's a sign the wine has overheated and expanded within the bottle.
Examine the color. A brown hue in red wine demonstrates that the liquid is past its prime. White wines that have darkened to a deep yellow or brownish straw color are usually oxidized.
Wine that lacks fruit, is raspy, too astringent, or has a paint-thinner taste is usually bad.
A still wine that is fizzy or effervescent has undergone a second fermentation after the bottling and shouldn't be enjoyed.
Although the term "corked" commonly refers to wine that has gone bad, inspecting the cork alone will not determine if the wine is tainted. Be sure to smell and examine the actual liquid.

Have you ever had an undrinkable bottle of wine? How did you know it had turned?

Corkeeper: Love It or Hate It?

partysugar — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 04:00:43 -0700

Every now and then I'll save a cork from a bottle of wine. Not because I want to remember the occasion or wine, but because it's nice to have extra corks lying around. That's why when I first saw the Corkeeper, a souvenir that holds a cork and two-by-three-inch photo, I thought, "that's kind of ridiculous." But, when I heard that it was created by restaurant owners who would snap a picture of diners that were celebrating special occasions and present it to them after their meal, I changed my mind. What a great way to remember a birthday! What do you think? Is the Corkeeper a fun way to preserve a memory?

Would You Buy Wine Bottled in Plastic?

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:50:22 -0700

Over the past couple of years, the wine industry has gone from mostly glass bottles with corks to a bevy of boxed varietals and wines with screwcaps. Now meet the industry's newest container contender: plastic wine bottles. Because they're one-eighth the weight of a typical glass bottle and take up 20 percent less space, plastic bottles are more cost effective and environmentally friendly. They also enable winemakers to save fuel by shipping more wine per truck. The downside? Plastic simply doesn't provide the same seal as glass, and the bottles come with "drink by" dates - so they'll only be used to package wines that are meant to be enjoyed right away. I can't help but wonder whether the plastic containers could pose a health hazard. How do you feel about the matter?

This Saturday, Uncork That Cherished Wine

YumSugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:30:37 -0800

Chances are you've got at least one bottle you've been saving for a special day, but what if you don't know what that significant occasion will be? That's the idea behind Open That Bottle Night, a dedicated evening when wine aficionados proclaim there's no time like the present to open a meaningful bottle of wine.

2009's event takes place this Saturday, Feb. 28, marking the 10th anniversary of the celebration created by Wall Street Journal Tastings columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher. As the two wine writers have put it: "You should worry less about what is the perfect moment for the wine than what is the perfect moment for you."

I've been celebrating OTBN for years, because I couldn't agree more with the message. It's important to enjoy life in the present. Isn't it time to take a moment to relax, pull the cork, and enjoy life by the sip? I'm looking forward to opening a bottle of 2006 Bella Vineyards Late Harvest Zinfandel that I've been holding onto. It's not about the monetary worth of the wine, but rather its sentimental value: I have nostalgic thoughts about years past when I drink it.

This weekend, what wine do you look forward to opening and why?

Champagne Parachute: Love It Or Hate It?

partysugar — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 05:19:32 -0700

I have loved champagne my entire life. Before I could drink (and before I drank illegally) I loved champagne because I got a thrill out of popping off the cork. On the deck at my vacation house, my dad would enthusiastically thrill me by shaking the bottle so the cork would fly off into the cold, mountain air. I would follow it as far as I could until it was lost in the night. Some days, in the summer, we would discover a cork from months ago. My childhood memories of shooting corks are why I absolutely love this champagne parachute. It's reusable and lets you discover exactly where your champagne cork lands. It also works as a safety precaution for crowded parties, ensuring that nobody's eyes get poked out by the flying cork. I was curious to see what you think about this champagne parachute, is it fabulously fun or totally tacky?
Champagne parachute, love it or hate it?

The Ultimate Bar: Corkscrew

partysugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:43:52 -0800

Every week YumSugar highlights an essential tool for the ultimate kitchen. People are always asking her what her favorite kitchen tool is and in a response to this perpetual question, she is creating a list of kitchen must-haves and special splurges (attention brides: use this as a checklist when creating your registry!). Lately I've noticed that more and more people are asking me about what the perfect hostess should have in her bar. To answer this question I thought I would put together a list of important tools, glasses, and gadgets that The Ultimate Bar (for the ultimate at home mixologist) should have.

Let's start with a tool that no bar (or kitchen for that matter) should be without: a good, reliable corkscrew. I have tried out the more expensive rabbit screw pull gadget like wine openers (test for yourself: the one pictured is $100), yet the two that I had both broke after several months of use. That's why I prefer the leverage winged, modern spiral corkscrew. It's by far the most dependable and one of the easiest to use: as the center coil is screwed into the cork, the arms rise up. When you press the arms down, the cork extracts. In some circles this twin handled affordable ($9.99) corkscrew is referred to as the Charles de Gaulle. The top of most can also be used to remove bottle caps.

Two more corkscrews so read more

Another option is the two-pronged cork fork, or butler's friend, that swiftly opens a bottle of wine without damaging the cork. It's recommended for use with older vintages of wine whose corks are more likely to crumble with the injection of a metal coil. ($18.95)

Some consider the corkscrew that waiters use, a waiter's friend, to be the most sturdy and handy corkscrew. This corkscrew relies on simple leverage to remove the cork and is light and compact. All parts fold up inside the handle, like a pocket knife making it extremely convenient and portable. When I worked in a bar I never got the hang of maneuvering this tool swiftly with one hand, however if used properly it's a great gadget complete with foil cutter, bottle rest, and battle cap opener. If you are on a budget this baby is your best bet, a fun, colorful one can be purchased under $8.00.