Best Wine Opener for Old Corks: Choose by the Bottle's Age

Up to about 15 years: a waiter's friend corkscrew. 10 to 30 years: an Ah-So such as the SOMM DIGI. 30 to 40 years with a dry, brittle cork: a hybrid opener, the VinoLab Hybrid at a mid-range price or the Durand. 40 years and older, where the cork crumbles: the Durand. Very old vintage Port: port tongs.

With age a cork dries out, shrinks and loses its spring. It can also stick to the glass. A corkscrew drills a hole through the middle and pulls from there, and a dry cork tears around the screw. The older the bottle, the more the opener needs to grip the cork from the outside.

For most bottles, a double-hinged waiter's friend is the best tool. Screw it in fully, use the first step of the lever, then the second, and pull straight.

Two thin prongs slide down between the cork and the glass and lift the cork out whole, without a hole in it. This is the tool for corks that are dry but still in one piece. The SOMM DIGI Ah-So is the budget choice.

A hybrid opener combines the two prongs with a centre screw, so the cork is held from the inside and the outside at once. The Durand is the original. The VinoLab Hybrid, new on Amazon and selling fast, uses the same idea at a mid-range price; this guide assesses it from its listing and design.

When a cork crumbles at the touch, the Durand's long track record matters. Its screw goes in first and stabilises the cork, then the prongs slide down around it, and both lift together.

For vintage Port decades old, where no opener can save the cork, sommeliers use port tongs: the tongs are heated red-hot and clamped around the neck below the cork, then a cold, wet cloth makes the glass break cleanly. It needs practice and care, and the wine is decanted straight away.

Lever (rabbit-style) and electric openers pull too fast and tear dry corks. Air-pressure openers push air into the bottle and can force a weak cork down into the wine. Keep them for young bottles.

Stand the bottle upright for a day or more so the sediment settles. Cut the foil below the lip and wipe the neck clean. Have a decanter and a fine strainer ready, and know what to do if the cork breaks.