Open a Bottle of Wine

Most people open wine bottles using corkscrews, but there are other things you can use too. This article will show you how to open a wine bottle using a corkscrew. It will also show you a few alternate methods as well.

10 Second Summary

1. Cut the foil off.
2. Open up a corkscrew and insert it in the cork.
3. Turn the handle to drive the corkscrew into the cork.
4. Push down the wings until the cork pops out.
5. Lift the cork and corkscrew away.

Steps

Opening Wine with a Sommelier Knife

  1. Cut off the foil. The sommelier knife is constructed with a folded knife on one end and a folded corkscrew on the other. Open the knife and use it to score the foil just below the lip at the top of the wine bottle. Remove the foil cap and discard it, then close the knife into its recess.
    • Some sommelier knives have a sharp disc, rather than a knife, intended to be used to cut the foil.
    • The foil should always be cut just below the lip of the wine bottle to prevent any wine from touching it when poured. Coming into contact with the foil can change the taste of the wine.
  2. Unfold the corkscrew and insert it in the cork. Position the tip of the corkscrew in the center of the wine bottle's cork, push it in, and begin twisting. Keep twisting the corkscrew until you have only one twist left.
    • Don't twist too far into the cork, or pieces from the bottom of the cork may get dislodged into the wine.
    • If you don't twist far enough, the cork may break in two when you try to extract it.
  3. Begin dislodging the cork. Move the lever arm down toward the neck of the bottle. Set the first set of ridges at the bottom of the lever arm on the lip of the bottle. Push down on the lever so that the cork begins moving upward. If necessary, use the second set of ridges on the lever arm to continue dislodging the cork.
    • Make sure you have a firm grip on the bottle, and that the lever arm is firmly in place, before you begin pulling up. Otherwise, the arm might slip.
    • If the cork won't budge, you may not have screwed the corkscrew in far enough. Twist it until there is only one twist remaining before using the lever.
  4. Remove the cork. Pull up the handle of the sommelier knife's handle firmly. The cork should easily lift from the bottle with a slight pop.
    • If the cork doesn't lift from the bottle, screw the corkscrew in deeper, lift the cork using the lever arm, and try pulling on the handle again.
    • In fine restaurants, sommeliers untwist the corkscrew from the cork while it is still in the bottle, then finish removing the cork by hand. The cork is set on the table for the patron to examine for signs of freshness.

Opening Wine with a Wing Corkscrew

  1. Cut off the foil. Most wing corkscrews don't come with knives, so use a sharp kitchen knife to score the foil just under the lip of the wine bottle. Pull off the foil cap and discard it.
  2. Set the corkscrew in place. Place the tip of the corkscrew in the center of the cork and push down gently. The metal cap surrounding the screw should rest against the top of the bottle, with the butterfly wings lowered against the neck of the wine bottle.
  3. Turn the handle. Hold the metal cap in place on the bottle with one hand, and use the other to turn the handle and screw the corkscrew into the cork. As you twist, the wings will begin raising upward. Continue turning the handle until the wings have raised to an upright position.
  4. Push down the wings and remove the cork. Place the bottle on a table and use both hands to push down the wings of the corkscrew. As you push them down, the cork will begin lifting. Continue pushing until the wings are flat against the bottle's neck and the cork has emerged from the bottle.
    • If you flatten the wings and the cork is still in the bottle, use the handle to twist it further into the cork until the wings are raised in an upright position again. Push them down again to raise the cork. Continue this process until the cork comes out.
    • You might have to grasp the corkscrew and pull out the cork to finish the job.

Opening Wine with a Hammer and Nails

  1. Cut off the foil. Use a kitchen knife to score the foil just below the lip of the wine bottle. Take off the foil cap and discard it.
  2. Insert five nails into the cork. Use a hammer to gently nail five small nails in a row across the top of the cork. They should be in close proximity, but not touching. Hammer them until there's a small gap between the heads of the nails and the cork.
    • This method is most effective if you use long, thin nails. Short, thick nails won't dislodge the cork as easily.
    • Be very careful when you're hammering the nails into the cork. Make sure the hammer doesn't touch the glass bottle.
  3. Begin lifting the cork. Place the claw of the hammer over the first nail in the line. Hold the bottle steady with one hand and use the other to pull the nail upward with the claw. The cork should lift a little with the nail. Continue down the row of nails, lifting the cork a little each time you remove one.
  4. Take out the cork. Once all the nails have been removed, the cork should be dislodged enough for you to finish the job with your own elbow grease. Grasp the bottle with one hand and use the other to pull the cork from the bottle.

Opening Wine with a Shoe

  1. Cut off the foil. Use a kitchen knife to score the foil just below the lip of the wine bottle, then remove the foil cap and throw it away.
  2. Place the wine bottle upside down between your thighs. Sit down on a steady chair and hold the wine bottle in a secure position between your legs. The top of the bottle should be pointing downward, while the base of the bottle should be pointing up.
  3. Rap the bottle with the sole of a shoe. Make sure you hold the bottle steady with your legs and one hand, and use the other to rap the base of the bottle with the sole of a flat shoe. With each strike, the cork should dislodge a little.
    • Strike the bottle firmly and evenly across the base. Don't hit it as hard as you can, and don't graze the edge, or the bottle may break. However, if it doesn't seem to be making progress, you may need to hit it harder.
    • Make sure the bottle is in a stable position. Don't just hold it between your thighs; use your free hand to grasp it, too.
  4. Check the cork and pull it out. Take a look at the cork's progress, then continue striking the bottle until the cork has dislodged enough that you can grasp it with your hand and pull it out of the bottle.
    • If you try pulling out the cork and it's still firmly inside the bottle, turn it upside down and strike it a few more times before trying again.
    • Don't strike the bottle until the cork pops out on its own, or you may lose a few glasses of wine.



Tips

  • If a cork is stubborn, while standing, hold the bottle between your knees and pull up on the corkscrew. This should give you extra leverage to remove the cork.
  • If you've got an older wine that's thrown a lot of sediment, you should keep it stored on its side, undisturbed, until ready to drink. When service time comes, carefully put it in a cradle that will hold it at an angle. Remove the cork with the bottle still at that angle (taking care not to spill the wine), and carefully Use a Wine Decanter.
  • If you don't want to mess around with knives and manual openers you can also get an electric wine opener which removes the cork all by itself.

Warnings

  • Be careful when using sharp knives to remove the foil. It can be tricky to cut off.

Things You'll Need

  • Waiters corkscrew
  • Bottle of wine

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Sources and Citations

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