Uncorking a 3L bottle…best strategy?

[Nate_Simon]

I recently acquired a 3L bottle of a 2000 Napa Cabernet via a charity auction. I have never owned or opened a bottle of this size, but I do have an occasion in mind for it.
Curious as to the best strategy for getting the cork out? Obviously, the neck is a bit wider and the cork is a bit wider than a standard bottle. So, I’m a little gun-shy about approaching it with a “standard“ corkscrew. Also, obviously some concern about the cork’s integrity given the age. Can one tackle this with a Durand? All suggestions appreciated.

So what happened Nate?

The original post was from May. Has your occasion happened yet?

Hi Paul –
No, not yet! Likely early next month. Will post the details, tragic or triumphant, here!

[Kris_Patten]

Used a waiters key on a 3L last night at dinner after getting thru hard wax. 2000 Oregon Reserve Pinot Noir.

[Kirk.Grant]

I’m always suspicious of large format bottles at charity auction. Assuming that this is not a wine focused auction,
3L and larger bottles have probably not been stored correctly.

Why would you assume that larger bottles have not been stored correctly? I have 3 Eurocaves and prioritize my lone 3L & Magnums in how I organize my caves

[Chuck_Miller]

With my 3L wines, I simply pull the plastic spigot out of the bottom of the box. Voila!

[Theodore_Smith]

Experience from being a waiter for 10+ yrs and opening several…use a waiters corkscrew. Plus, if it has a wax seal, heat the wax up for a good bit with a lighter. Not to the point of melting, but to the point of softness. After, get right to pulling the cork, comes out like butter.

ENJOY!!

[Mel_Hill]

a wet kitchen towel microwaved till steaming placed on the wax cap will soften even the most brittle of caps.

[Nate_Simon]

a wet kitchen towel microwaved till steaming placed on the wax cap will soften even the most brittle of caps.

Great tip! I’m betting this will work better than a blowtorch, which was quite messy.

[Nate_Simon]

OK, postscript!
Bottom line, the Durand handled this with no problem. The tongs are a bit narrow for this size of cork…started out with the tongs on the edge of the cork, but they kind of dug into the cork as I pushed it in. No matter, the whole thing came out in one piece.
I was a bit worried since there was some obvious seeping around the cork, but the wine (2000 Silverado Cabernet) was in good shape.

[Dan_Kravitz]

Glad it worked out!

Yesterday I worked as a bartender (unpaid) at a friend’s party. Opened a 3L 2012 Domaine du Pegau ‘Cuvee Laurence’. Drove the waiter’s corkscrew right through the wax, pulled the cork halfway, cleaned off the bits of wax around the neck, opened it the rest of the way. Worked like a charm.

The party was a lobster bake. We discussed, and decided to serve the Pegau before the lobsters came out, with the chips, salsa, nuts, cheeses. Then segued to Rose and white when the seafood came out. That also worked like a charm. Only a handful of his ~40 guests knew jakeshot about wine, but the Pegau got their attention.

Going back ~35 years, I once threw a dinner party where the centerpiece was an 18L Melchior of Bordeaux. The bottle, in its wooden case, weighed 85 pounds. We had 16 people jammed into our very small house. I did not eat or drink anything the entire evening (outside of a sip of the Bordeaux to make sure it wasn’t corked. Spent 3+ hours doing nothing but pouring wine. Sorry, don’t remember what kind of corkscrew I used, but this also had a wax cap.

Dan Kravitz