Open a bottle of wine is a rather simple task, but one must avoid making some common errors as not to ruin the cork and wine in particular. Get a professional corkscrew. The traditional corkscrews are very useful, and are great for opening bottles of wine that we might summarily define "everyday" but to open bottles of wine a bit more important are less appropriate, for the ease of breaking the cork. A double-lever corkscrew sommelier does for us. With serrated knife, remove the portion of the capsule covering the cork. Cut just below the ridge, that ring on the neck the bottle near the top. This is because, if there were residues of dust, they do not would fall into the glass. With a clean cloth, the neck of the bottle with care from any residue. Place the tip of the worm (the spiral wire) in the center of the cork and begin to turn, without pushing, but with a constant motion. Beware: it is the corkscrew turning, not the bottle, otherwise you'll shake up the fund. Tighten the worm almost to the end: it is important not to puncture the stopper at the bottom to find no cork shavings in wine. If you have a double lever corkscrew, as recommended, place the first tooth (the one near the junction) to the neck of the bottle, and with constant motion, without jerking, just lever and pull the plug. Place now the second tooth neck of the bottle and, again, lever to nearly remove the cap. During this operation, pay special attention not to bend the cork to not break it. With the cork now almost completely gone out, tilt slightly the corkscrew to bring out the whole cork. Look at the cork: watch that is not too dry, or not too wet: it should be moist for only two or three millimeters. If not taste the wine. Take the cork on the nose: if the primary smell is that of wine you can pour easily, but if it prevails the smell of cork, it's better to taste the wine to avoid unpleasant surprises. Pour the wine slowly from above, making it get some oxygen. A It 'a good idea to open up important wines several hours before the meal to allow a good oxygenation. The red wines of great body and structure, which have passed some years of aging should be decanted. If you serve a wine of particular importance, is a good idea to rinse the glasses, or "clean" glasses with a little wine to remove any possible residue of detergent. Warning: ripe red wines often have a little deposit. The decanting operation should prevent any danger of finding those residue in the glass, but if you cannot decant the wine, try to avoid shaking the bottle and never to pour the entire contents, but always leave a bit of wine in the bottle by pouring it carefully.
