port tong

English

Etymology

From port (“type of wine”) +‎ tong.

Noun

port tong (plural port tongs)

1. (chiefly in the plural) A tong / pair of tongs, used to open wine bottles (especially old bottles of port) with heat stress fracturing. The tongs are designed to be heated red hot, then applied to the neck of the bottle, for which the tongue is shaped to fit around, heating the glass.

Related terms

• tonging (the action of opening a wine bottle with port tongs)

See also

• sabrage