Harts of Stur Kitchen Issue 4, autumn 2017 | Page 43

Instant Expert kit T H E Opening wine Grape Expectations Q. Should we cut the foil at the top or bottom? A. “The foil should be cut at the top; the reason why the foil goes along a good part of the bottle neck is to avoid any contact between the cork and the rest of the world. There is an opportunity for that to happen and if this is the case, we wouldn’t like our wine to be in touch with any impurity underneath the foil.” Q. You’ve opened a lot of bottles of wine. What’s your favourite corkscrew or bottle opener? A. “I personally prefer the classic ‘Waiter’s Friend’ style, and I always have one in my pocket, just in case. But I think that depending on the type of service you are delivering, the type of opener can be different. I like the butterfly winged style corkscrew or the lever corkscrew at home, by the way, this last one makes your life so much easier. An electric wine opener is precise and fast but the Vacu Vin Cork Puller is my favourite tool. It needs a bit of practice but because it needs a bit of time to get the bottle open it represents the perfect wine’s philosophy. You shouldn’t rush.” Corkscrews and Bottle Openers Because every great glass of wine starts with opening the bottle… Vacu Vin Lever Corkscrew Vertical RRP: £14.99 Harts Price: £11.99 Le Creuset Black Nickel LM-G10 Lever Model Harts Price: £169.00 Vacu Vin Lever Corkscrew Horizontal RRP: £19.99 Harts Price: £16.00 Le Creuset Wood WT- 110W Waiters Corkscrew Harts Price: £32.00 43 www.hartsofstur.com Bar Craft Lazy Fish Corkscrew Harts Price: £15.29 Bar Craft Connoisseur Twist Action Foil Cutter Harts Price: £3.14 Vacu Vin Cork Puller RRP: £3.99 Harts Price: £3.19