In sommelier coursesregardless of whether they are held by theItalian Sommelier Associationthe Italian Sommelier Foundation or any other sommelier associationthere is always a lesson dedicated to the professional tools used during the wine service. In this article I will briefly explain some basic items that you will learn to use during the sommelier course and that you will probably be asked during theais examination oral.
Sommelier courses: what tools do they teach you to use?
Corkscrew
The professional corkscrew is the lever corkscrew, with a simple and very handy design. The handle conceals a small knife for removing the capsule. In the handle is the worm, the steel spiral to be inserted into the cork to extract it. You know that this Pulltex professional corkscrew was my wedding favour from wedding?
Pliers
If serving the sparkling wine is difficult because the cork is resistant, to avoid breaking it, you can use pliers (like this Vacu Vin corkscrews) to dislodge it inside the neck of the bottle. Opening then proceeds as usual.
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Basket
Also called wine basketIt is usually made of wicker, wood or silver. It is used to transport bottles that have been aged for a long time and may have sediment. Sometimes the bottle is opened inside the basket.
Decanter
It has different shapes, linear and clean, which delineate its elegant profile. It serves to separate sediment and allow the bouquet of great red wines to open up. In young wines, on the other hand, it can be used to aid the volatilisation of some substance that causes a slight olfactory imperfection. In addition to the classic decanters (this one with the cork ball is always stunning) there are some design gems to die for! My favourite is the crystal decanter with Oxford engravings rotating on the base (contributing to the oxygen ion of the wine) by Paysky!
Frangino
The fringing is a small napkin preferably of white cotton like this used both to clean the bottle after opening from any cork residue and to wipe away any drops of wine during service and avoid stains.
Sabre
The sommelier's sabre (or sabrage) was created to uncork bottles of sparkling wine in a spectacular way by reviving the Napoleonic custom of opening Champagne bottles with a blow of the blade on the neck of the bottle. To 'sabre-open', one must remove the metal cage and, if present, the capsule. When the bottle is sufficiently cold, a sharp blow at the end point of the neck just before the thickest part of the opening removes the ring from the bottle. The ideal is to rest the sabre on the exact spot then slide it back and give the blow. To do this, it is suggested to hold the bottle at an angle of about 45° with the hand you are not using for sabrage. My favourite sommelier sabre? Without a doubt this one of Two Swans with the black blade and black handleI am in love with it! Sooner or later I will give it to myself...
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Service trolley
In some restaurants a trolley is used for serving wines by the glass. In this case, the ideal is to offer at least eight wines (two for the aperitif, four for the main courses and two for dessert) with different characteristics. The Vasagle gueridon I simply adore it, but I admit that I have half a house with this furniture because it has the industrial style I like and is very good value for money (so much for Ikea...).
I hope you enjoyed this article and found it useful... and who knows, maybe I inspired you to add a few items of your own... wine-themed gifts favourites!
Cheers 🍷
Chiara
If you are studying for theais examination I also recommend reading:
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