How to use the Ah So Wine Opener (CorkFork)

The Ah So Wine Opener

As far as bottle openers go the Ah-So wine opener is not all that well understood. It has a significant advantage over normal wine bottle openers, but is often not used properly which can lead to damage, either to the tool, the wine bottle cork, or the person opening the wine bottle.

The Ah-So wine opener gets its name because when many people see it for the first time they don’t know what it is for, let alone know how to use it. Once they find out its purpose and then see how it is used, people will often remark “Ah now i see”. The Ah-So is also known as a 2 pronged cork puller or the butlers bottle opener.

The one major advantage of the Ah-So bottle opener is that, unlike all other bottle openers which use a screw-pull, the Ah-So does not damage the cork at all. This is a fantastic advantage if you are opening an older bottle of wine where the cork may not be in good condition. If you have ever had a cork drop into your wine bottle by using a screw-pull bottle opener you will understand the importance of this. But its not just old corks, because the cork remains undamaged it is very easy to re-cork the bottle. Usually with a screw-pull type the cork will be larger because the screw enters the cork and expands the outer diameter, not usually a problem when removing the cork, but it does make it difficult to return. With the Ah-So wine bottle opener the cork remains the same size, therefore allowing you to re use the cork the wine to plug the wine bottle, very handy for when you don’t drink the whole bottle, such as picnics or a single glass of your favourite red with dinner.

There is another advantage and that is cost, the Ah-So wine opener is very cheap when compared to other bottle openers. This is simply a factor of its design, no moving parts, and no screw shape, its cheap to make so the price is cheap. Cheapest place i have seen them is at Amazon, and its delivered to your door, check out their prices to this page. —>>>

There are of course other devices you can use to plug a wine bottle such as these wine bottle stoppers, but these certainly aren’t as practical, and being small are easily misplaced.

The design of the Ah-So bottle opener is relatively simple. There is a T-shaped oval handle handle for a good grip and 2 thin hard but flexible metal prongs. It looks very similar to a key. One of the prongs is slightly longer than the other, usually the prongs are between 8 to 12 centermeters long, and spaced apart the internal diameter of a wine bottle neck. Depending on the manufacturer the Ah-So will come with a case or sheath that the prongs will slide into, this is to protect the tool and and as the prongs are made of thin metal that will dig in to any soft surface easily, like you skin, so its always recommended to buy one with a cover.

Many people try using the Ah-So incorrectly and throw them away in disgust, promising themselves that they will never use them again. However if you follow a few simple steps you will be able to open your wine bottle without damaging the cork just as effortlessly as a normal bottle opener.

First grab the bottle opener by the handle firmly, place the longest prong between the cork and the inner of the wine bottle an press in until the second prong can contact the cork (ensuring the prongs are straight). Then tilt the Ah-So back so that the shorter prong can slide between the cork and the inner of the bottle neck. The 2 prongs should be 180 degrees apart, i.e. opposite sides of the cork. Once the shorter prong is inserted a few millimeters, the Ah-So will be at a slight angle to the bottle, approximately 20 degrees. Now tilt the Ah-So back the other way, the aim will be to insert the longer prong further down into the bottle, go only as far as you did with the smaller prong. Then alternate the Ah-So wine bottle opener back and forth, gradually inserting the prongs further into the bottle until the handle hits the top of the cork. Once you have done this a few times, it will only take a few seconds, usually no longer than a standard screwpull bottle opener. Once the prongs are fully inserted make sure you have a good grip on both the bottle and the Ah-So handle. Now turn the handle clockwise, whilst slowly applying force to pull the cork out of the bottle. Ideally you would turn the cork between 2 and 3 turns until it pops out.