Buzz
Imagine a perfect sunny day, a romantic picnic with your significant other. You’ve laid out bread, cheese, and a bottle of wine, only to realize you forgot the corkscrew! Don’t worry. There are plenty of simple methods to open the bottle and pour your wine!
Steps
Push the Cork into the Bottle
Find a blunt object. The object you choose should have a tip smaller than the cork and shouldn’t be sharp to avoid damaging the cork. Pens like ballpoint or markers (including correction pens and highlighters) work well, as long as they have caps. You can also use a cylindrical cosmetic item or a knife sharpener. A multi-tool hook can also be effective.
Place the wine bottle on a flat and stable surface. You can hold the bottle in your lap or place it on a table to keep it steady.
- Alternatively, position the opening tool against a wall and push horizontally. Push the base of the bottle to help the cork slide in more easily. Hold the neck and base firmly to prevent slipping. Ensure the surface is hard enough to avoid denting, and protect it by taping some newspaper to the wall.
Position the opening tool close to the cork. The cork is usually inserted into the bottle's neck. If it protrudes slightly, gently press it down so it sits flush with the bottle's mouth to prevent slipping during the process.
Push the cork down. Point the bottle away from yourself in case wine spills. Hold the bottle with one hand and the opening tool with the other, pressing down until the cork falls into the bottle. Be cautious, as wine may splash when the cork drops.
- This method is easy but may leave small cork particles in the wine.
- The surrounding area (and your clothes!) might get stained from spilled wine; avoid this method if you're wearing nice clothes or are on a carpet. Prepare some paper towels to wrap around the bottle's neck while doing this.
Murphy Perng
Wine Consultant
Wine Consultant
Expert Tip: If you push the cork into the bottle, pour the wine through a coffee filter before drinking. The texture of the wine might change slightly when filtered, but it will remove any cork particles.
Use a Knife
Find a pocket knife or a fruit knife. The blade should fit snugly into the bottle's neck. A serrated knife will grip the cork more securely.
- Be cautious when using a knife. Avoid injuring yourself.
Insert the knife tip into the cork. Carefully push the knife in with moderate downward pressure until it pierces through the cork.
Slowly twist and pull the knife out. With the blade deep in the cork, twisting and pulling will pop the cork out. Be careful to avoid cork fragments falling into the bottle.
Insert the knife tip between the bottle's mouth and the cork. Use moderate force to push the knife handle outward, pressing the blade against the cork. This will lever the cork out from the side.
- Since pressure is applied to the side of the bottle's mouth, hold the knife with one hand and grip the bottle neck just below the blade with the other.
Use a Shoe
Remove the protective layer around the bottle's neck. Ensure there’s no plastic or metal covering the bottle's mouth. To remove the wrapper, simply slide it up and off. If it doesn’t come off easily, pull the seal strip to open it if available. Alternatively, use a knife to cut it off.
Place the wine bottle inside a shoe. Any flat-soled shoe will work (except high heels or flip-flops), as long as the shoe’s opening can accommodate the bottle. Position the bottle upright in the shoe with the cork facing you, holding the bottle with one hand and the shoe with the other.
Tap the shoe's heel against a wall. Hold both the bottle and the shoe, tapping the heel against the wall multiple times. Keep the bottle perpendicular to the wall, ensuring the shoe’s heel contacts the wall at the bottle’s base. The shoe will protect the bottle from breaking, but avoid tapping too hard. After a few attempts, the cork should start to rise.
- If you’re outdoors and there’s no wall, tap the shoe against a post or tree trunk. Just make sure it doesn’t slip to avoid breaking the bottle!
- If the shoe doesn’t fit the bottle, wrap the bottle’s base with a towel or use a book as a cushion and tap. The shoe is mainly to prevent the bottle from breaking.
Remove the cork. Once the cork has risen a few centimeters, you can pull it out by hand and start enjoying your celebration.
Use a Screw
Find a screw and a pair of pliers. The wider the screw's threads, the better. Ensure anything touching the cork is clean, as wine can spoil easily if contaminated.
Screw the screw into the cork until about 2 cm remains outside. You can twist it in by hand, but if it’s difficult, use a screwdriver.
- Be gentle to avoid breaking the cork into small pieces.
Use pliers to pull the screw out. Pull the screw with the pliers, and the cork will come out with it. You can also use the flat end of a hammer (the claw) as an alternative to pliers. Essentially, any tool that’s sturdy and can hook onto the screw will work to remove the cork.
Remove the cork using a fork. Simply replace the pliers with a fork. Position the fork’s tines under the screw head to form a T-shape. The screw should be vertical, and the fork should be perpendicular to it. Use your index and middle fingers to lift the fork.
- Ensure the fork’s tines are narrower than the flat head of a small to medium-sized screw.
Use a bicycle hook instead of a screw. Find a bicycle hook (the kind used to hang bikes on railings). Twist it into the cork, using the hook as a handle, and slowly pull the cork out. This method eliminates the need for pliers or other tools.
Use a Coat Hanger
Straighten a metal coat hanger. Choose a cheap hanger and straighten it out completely.
Create a hook at the end of the hanger. Use pliers to bend the last 10 mm of the hanger at a 30-degree angle, resembling a fishing hook.
Insert the wire between the cork and the bottle's mouth. Angle the hook along the bottle's rim to make it easier to push down. You’ll need to push the hook at least 5 cm until it’s below the cork.
Rotate the wire 90 degrees. The hook will now catch the cork, and you can simply twist the wire to pull the cork out.
Open the wine bottle cork. Wear gloves to avoid discomfort while pulling the wire. The hook must twist inward to latch onto the cork, allowing it to rise with the hook.
Use a coat hanger as a substitute for a screw. This method is quite common if a screw isn’t available. After straightening the hanger, insert the wire between the cork and the bottle’s neck, then twist and pull the hanger to remove the cork.
Use Paper Clips
Take two paper clips and a pen. Straighten the paper clips, leaving only the U-shaped ends intact.
Insert a paper clip into the side of the cork. Position the U-shaped end along the bottle's rim to push it into the neck, then twist the clip 90 degrees so the U hooks under the cork.
- Repeat the process with the second paper clip on the opposite side of the cork.
Connect the two paper clips. Twist the top ends of the clips together and pull the twisted section upward to lift the cork.
Remove the cork. Slide a suitable tool like a spoon handle, pencil, or pen under the twisted wire and pull the cork out.
Use a Hammer
Find three short nails and a hammer. Ideally, the nails should reach the bottom of the cork.
Gently hammer the nails into the cork, ensuring they are aligned and close together. Avoid hammering too hard to prevent the cork from breaking into pieces.
Position the hammer's claw over the nails. It should fit snugly so you can leverage the cork out.
Pry both the nails and the cork out of the bottle. Apply force to the hammer's handle, gently rocking it back and forth to loosen the cork. Alternatively, hold the hammer and nails steady with one hand while twisting the bottle away with the other to separate the cork.
- If unsuccessful on the first try, hammer the nails into the cork again in a line perpendicular to the original and attempt once more.
Use Scissors
Grab a pair of scissors. Ideally, use craft scissors or children's scissors (not toy scissors).
Open the scissors as wide as possible. Avoid touching the blades to prevent injury. Hold only the handles and open them to their fullest extent.
Press the sharp end of the scissors into the center of the cork. Apply gentle pressure to push the blade deep into the cork. Be careful to avoid pushing the cork into the bottle or breaking it into small pieces.
Tips
- If you don’t have pliers, you can wrap a rope around the screw and pull.
- All the methods above require time and effort. If convenient, visit a store and buy a corkscrew.
- Depending on how the bottle is stored, the cork may dry out and crumble inside. Be careful to keep the cork intact.
- Point the bottle away from yourself when pushing the cork in to avoid staining your clothes.
Warning
- Exercise extreme caution with sharp tools and avoid using them if you’re intoxicated.
- Using your teeth to open a wine bottle can damage your teeth.
- Applying excessive force with any of the methods mentioned above may result in breaking the bottle.
