If this place is not focused on wine service, you might want to be prepared for an adventure in cork extraction on a 3L. A single corkscrew is likely to be problematic if the bottle opening is larger than on a 750mL or magnum. My experience with Burgundy-style bottles is that use of two corkscrews in tandem is very effective. Drill one in off center, straight down; the second come from the opposite side at an angle so that you entangle the worms. Get both as far into the cork as possible, then grip both handles and pull straight up. I was 4/4 last weekend at IPNC Salmon Bake with this technique and an accomplice. One of us held the bottle while the other worked the pulling aspect. None of what we opened was older than 25 years.
Yeah, REALLY. You’re a better educated, better looking, and generally more loved with better taste than me. No need to prove it on an online forum, esp on a thread you’ve contributed nothing to.
I’ve been thinking about using a Coravin on a magnum of 2010 Felsina CCR, but have worried that as the amount of wine decreases, it may require more and more argon to extract what is left. This is based on my impression that I’ve had to use a lot of argon to extract glass four out of five in a 750ml bottle. If this impression is accurate, you might burn through several capsules on a 3L. Of course, the Coravin approach would make it easier to bring any remaining wine home.
If you go this route, you will definitely need one person to tilt the bottle and another to pour glasses. Please post a picture.
I can’t imagine that’s easier. Plus you stir up the sediment every time you do that. Honestly it’s not that hard to open a 3L. I’m not sure why there’s such a concern about two corkscrews, etc. I had no problem opening a bottle with one. You just have to take your time.
I agree with Andrew. My 2nd biggest concern would be making sure it gets enough air time, especially after reading the CT notes on the wines you are contemplating. I am not going to mention my biggest concern because I don’t want to jinx you.
That’s actually a good reason to Coravin the bottle a couple of days in advance so that you can make a backup plan if the wine isn’t showing for whatever reason. That’s what I did before I took a 3L to a big event and it put me at ease.
I have no experience with Coravin but like the idea of a quick check for cork or spoilage. The folklore about larger format corks is that they are hand-cut so often have less uniformity of fit. Maybe that has changed in modern times. Even so, the typical corkscrew is designed to provide straight-up pulling leverage based upon the diameter of the standard bottle. If your 3L has a standard diameter opening, then I would agree with Andrew that you just pull the cork like normal. All of the 3L I’ve encountered (not too many) had large-diameter openings. It was impossible to get the worm drilled down the center of the cork and span the radius over to the glass of the neck with the lever on typical corkscrews. Drilling down off-center fixes that problem but increases the chances you just rip out part of the cork before the far side gets unstuck from the glass.