The trick to plastic wine corks: Elbow grease

Bill Daley | Tribune staff reporter

April 27, 2008

Q: What is the story on the new plastic wine corks? I have tried several types of wine openers and none of them work easily. Is there a secret to opening them?

—Arlene Fear, Chicago

A: Yes, lots of muscle. Seriously. Plastic corks are far denser than natural ones. You are going to have to really dig the point of a corkscrew into the plastic cork and give it quite a yank to free it.

Q: When I was in France, a man I played golf with gave me a bottle of what I think is a rare wine.

I could find a little about the vineyard but not this specific wine, which I think is a Bordeaux. Everything I find online has a different label than what's on my bottle.

The label reads: La Motte de Clement-Pichon 2001 Haut Medoc. I think it is a limited release.

I want to find out about it before I drink it. Can you be of any help?

—Anthony Pioppi, Middletown, Conn.

A: La Motte de Clement-Pichon is the second label of Château Clement-Pichon, a historic property in the Saint-Emilion region of Bordeaux, France. Your wine is sold only to private customers and there's usually only 15,000 to 20,000 bottles made versus the 100,000 or so bottles of Clement-Pichon.

Drink over the next five years.

Q: What is the French word for the sound that is emitted when a Champagne cork is removed correctly with that resulting "poof'"?

As I recall, that word is onomatopoeic and therefore sounds similar to the sound itself. None of the wine fanciers I have asked have been able to remember it.

—Leon J. Hoffman, Chicago

A: I turned for help to Sam Heitner, director of the Office of Champagne USA, the American arm of a French trade group representing Champagne growers and houses. He e-mailed back from Champagne: "The folks here say the romantic term is 'supir' but most simply call it 'Le pop.' "

Do you have a wine or spirit question for Bill Daley? Write to him at the Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, or e-mail wdaley@tribune.com. Questions cannot be answered individually.