Woe to the dinner guest who drips red wine upon their host's white tablecloth for lack of a napkin and a quickly executed fold or two. In the following photo tutorial, see how to wrap a wine bottle to catch drips, make the bottle easier to grasp, and increase your points in the presentation category. Give Your Wine a Tail The first fold is the fastest and easier because it doesn't require a square napkin. You can use anything from a square to a fairly severe oblong piece of fabric, even a paper towel in a pinch. In my case the white square napkin I was using was a bit too large, so I folded it in half to create a rectangle. Fold the napkin into thirds, the same way that you would commonly fold a letter to put it in a standard business envelope. The end result should ideally be between 1 and 3 inches wide. The next step is the only tricky one involved in this style of wrap. You essentially wrap the napkin back on itself and tuck the end into the fold you created in the previous step. A picture is truly worth paragraphs of explanation here: You can perform the final tuck on or off the bottle, but the first few attempts will probably be easier off the bottle. I found it easiest to tuck the napkin in, then slip it over the bottle and tighten the tuck and folds while holding it in place. You can execute the final tuck with either tuck hidden or exposed: For the next fold, a square napkin is ideal. You can use this fold with a sealed bottle laying flat or an open bottle standing up. For lack of an assistant to photograph me at work, you're seeing the process with an unopened bottle lying on the table. Place the napkin in front of you, point down as a diamond. Fold the bottom point up about 30-40 percent of the way, falling short of folding the napkin completely in half and making a triangle. Wrap the napkin tightly around the bottle, tucking the interior napkin point in snugly before pulling the opposite point around. Stand the bottle up, holding the fold snugly in place. In the example photo, again for lack of assistant, you'll see the napkin point slowly unfolding itself. While keeping your hand firmly on the napkin wrap, grasp the point of the napkin that is sticking straight up in the air and peel it slowly down like you're peeling a banana. Done slowly the napkin rolls over itself and secures the loose napkin point to the side of the bottle creating a snug and secure wrap. The finished example in the photo below has been rotated so you can see what the finished fold looks like. Two simple napkin folds to catch drips and make it easier to grasp a condensation-covered wine bottle, offer simple insurance that you'll never be passed over for a dinner party again due to your propensity for leaving wine bottle stains on your host's linens. If you'd like to further impress your host by bringing a bottle of wine to share and you've been smitten by the idea of folding, check out .
Tags: Step by Step, How To, Household, Folding, Wine, Beverages, Drinks, Lifehacker
