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Opening an old bottle of wine can be tricky. In fact, it can be so tricky that it may require a different device than a standard opener to properly remove the cork.
After all, no one wants bits of cork floating around in a wine they’ve spent time aging. This is where the twin-blade wine opener comes in handy.
This double-pronged contraption, also called an ah-so on the West Coast, looks like a tool out of a horror movie, but it is exceptionally useful for removing corks from wines with age.
When to Use a Twin-Blade Wine Opener
“A twin-blade is great when you are opening old bottles, especially when the cork may be weak or damaged, nothing is better,” says Evan Turner, sommelier and wine director at Krasi Meze and Wine in Boston.
Weakened corks are prominently associated with aged wines because they can dry up if there isn’t enough humidity during storage. The cork can also grow brittle if the bottle isn’t kept on its side while it ages, which helps keep it moist.
