The Port Tongs

Wine Tips and Advice from our Michelin award-winning Sommelier, Jurica Gojevic

The Port Tongs

Opening a wine bottle is somewhere between opening a gift and a time capsule. It is part celebration and part transmission. That’s why, in the grand scheme of opening bottles, opening wine bottles is a touch more involved. It’s also really hard to do if you don’t have the right tool on hand.

One of the oldest tools used today in opening bottles is port tongs.

Port tongs are a unique way to open a wine bottle. Traditionally used in Oporto to open very old bottles of port, the use of tongs to open bottles 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 wine. Even if you don't use them, having a pair of tongs hanging on your wall is a fun decoration and conversation piece.

With ancient bottles removing the cork can be quite difficult without destroying the cork, ending up with bits of cork floating your wine. The purpose of the tongs is to allow you to remove the neck of old bottles completely with the cork intact so that service can proceed easily and cleanly.

We care about wine tradition in Adare Manor and that’s why we offer our guests the chance to experience the use of port tongs.

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