How Do You Use Port Tongs?For those of you who are really gung-ho and into port, trying to open your next bottle with tongs may be an exciting proposition. However, it is not always easy and if done poorly can ruin your bottle, make a mess, and more importantly, can be quite dangerous! If you are interested regardless, read on.

While this sounds entirely practical, in the world of wine accessories the port tong is a bit like the velvet choker: out of style. This is partly because vintage port isn’t exactly flying off the shelves these days.Disclaimer and Safety Note!!! - We do not recommend you try using port tongs or anything like them to open a bottle of port unless you really know what you are doing. Playing with fire can result in serious injury. Additionally, the tongs get extremely hot and can cause burns. The bottle can explode, sending shards of hot glass everywhere. We do not recommend you try this at home and will not be held responsible for accidents that result from the use of port tongs. Port tongs are a unique way to open a wine bottle. Traditionally use in Oporto and England to open very old bottles of port, the use of tongs to open port nowadays is rare but a sight to behold. The use of tongs is for some a romantic and exciting way to serve and highlight a great bottle of ancient port. Even if you don't use them, having a pair of tongs hanging on your wall is a fun decoration and conversation piece. The port tongs guarantees an experience beyond the usual besides the functional and easy opening of your valued old bottles.

Do not feel that you have to spend a fortune on your Port glasses, but do use a well proportioned, good quality glass to really enjoy the powerful aromas and flavour profiles that Port wine offers. You would not put a fine white Burgundy or expensive claret into a tiny glass, so why do this to a fine Port wine? Do not mute the wine, but flatter it by affording it the correct glass.Port tongs were invented in the 18 th century as a way to cleanly decapitate bottles of vintage port whose old corks might otherwise break or disintegrate with the use of a corkscrew. The tongs are still iron with a burnished finish with polished wood handles , which are finished in steel. Port tongs are easy to use. Place the jaws in an open fire or over the alighted gas ring and warm to red heat. (You can use a camping gas stove for this process). At the same time, place a feather or piece of cloth in water to soak. Throughout the history of wine, decanters have played a significant role in the serving of wine. No more so is this tradition than the serving of Vintage Port. Decanters come in all shapes and sizes, the flat based Ship's decanter being commonly used for Port. Rather more obscure and rare is the Hoggit, a round-bottomed decanter that cannot be put down unless resting on its wooden base, thus ensuring that guests keep passing it round the table. These different variants will help you open a bottle of wine, but some have more features than others. A winged corkscrew is a classic that is easy to use, and a waiter’s friend has everything you need to remove foil and cork without bending it. Benefits of a waiter’s friend

The fact that the cork is fully penetrated is the weakness of this type of corkscrew, as you risk that the cork crumbles. It also takes a while to liberate the cork from the spiral after use. Try the lever corkscrewIf you are anything like me, you love to open bottles of wine. There are many ways to open a bottle of wine and extract the sweet nectar that lies within. There are many options at your disposal: a corkscrew, an Ah-So, a Champagne Saber,a screw and hammer, and even a shoe to open up a wine bottle. My favorite, however, is the port tong.

The idea and the concept is designed for opening port bottles, but of course it can be used for all kinds of still wines. The use of a wine funnel whilst decanting not only holds the added benefit of stopping any unwanted cork or sediment from entering into your decanter, but also promotes oxygenation of the wine, bringing out the full flavours of the wine and ensuring a full wine experience. If you do not have a funnel, a steady hand and perhaps some muslin cloth to catch any of the wines sediment – will deliver just as good an end result. If the corkscrew has a folding knife, it is a good thing if the blade is curved. Such a curved blade will cut a fine cut along the bottle's capsule. Choose the classic winged corkscrewProceed with service of the port as usual, ideally decanting the wine from the bottle into a decanter for service. Most people prefer to use a strainer of some time, such as a cheesecloth-lined funnel, to be sure that no glass shards or wine sediment makes it into the decanter. Not all Port wine styles are sealed with a driven cork, some styles such as Aged Tawny Ports, or Late Bottled Vintage Port use a stopper cork, which allows the wine to be resealed on a number of occasions and easily removed by hand. All Vintage Port wines are closed with a natural cork and therefore need to be neatly opened with a good corkscrew. With the flair of a Flamenco dancer (another local specialty) the vencencia is thrust into a hole in the barrel, piercing the layer of yeast or flor and taking a sample of wine to be poured from above the head of the venenciador. It’s pretty spectacular especially given that sherry glasses are very small targets. Fortunately the only danger here is spillage, which of course can be a fairly grievous offense if we’re talking about old sherry. Despite numerous practice sessions with water, my venencia wisely remains a conversation piece. The secret to opening a bottle of Vintage Port is not simply about the corkscrew, but the manner in which you go about opening the bottle. Do not rush it, gently ease the cork from its position, so as to remove the cork as cleanly and smoothly as possible. Do not worry about a cork snapping, or even crumbling. This will not affect the taste of the wine and any of the unwanted cork that may have fallen into the Port wine, will be removed when it is decanted through a funnel into the decanter. The most widely used corkscrew-type is the winged corkscrew which most of us are familiar with. With the two very characteristic wings that rise into the air like the arms, the appearance is easily recognised.