Sometimes when opening an older bottle the cork will crumble or break. Do you advise decanting through a paper filter or cheesecloth to remove particles of cork or another method? I think paper effects the wine. Do you advise the opener where CO2 is injected thru a needle? I understand the bottle can shatter.
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
In some cases, as you indicate, corks in older wines will simply fall apart, and there is no perfect way to avoid having some of the cork fall into the bottle. To filter the wine, I would recommend either a funnel with a fine wire mesh screen (washed first in hot water!), or, as a second choice, cheesecloth. I have experimented with paper filters and find they often give an off taste to the wine.
Concerning the "pressure" method of ejecting a cork from the bottle, I have personally found these devices not to work well, or fail completely, depending on the type, length and seating of the cork. A mechanical corkscrew or puller is much more reliable, in my opinion.
