• There’s nothing like a glass of wine after a long day, but getting into the bottle can be a hassle without a good wine opener or corkscrew.
  • To get that cork out as easily as possible, you should get the best one around – the Pulltap Double-Hinged Waiters Corkscrew.

A few years ago, I went on a girls camping weekend in the Catskills. On Friday evening, three of us hiked out to the wooded site, set up two tents, somehow managed to get a good (alright, sputtering) fire going in a somewhat soggy pit, and finally settled down to enjoy a glass of wine. If memory serves correctly, I believe it was a nicely chilled bottle of Chardonnay. Then we realized we forgot a bottle opener. Okay, it wasn’t a tragedy, but that evening it sure felt like one.

For many people around the world, enjoying a glass of wine is one of life’s greatest pleasures. But first, you have to get the bottle open. If you’re like me, chances are you take owning a wine opener or corkscrew for granted. It’s something that lives in your cutlery drawer, even if you have no idea how it got there. When I was a child, I used to pretend that my parents’ winged corkscrew was a person. I remember my mother’s distress when she couldn’t find the corkscrew and her ultimate relief when it was found it in my dollhouse after a lengthy search. I’m a mom now – I get it.

While I have always owned a winged corkscrew (it’s family tradition after all), there are many different types of wine openers to choose from.

  • Corkscrews: The first corkscrew was patented in Oxford, England, in 1795 by Reverend Samuel Henshall. This basic twist corkscrew was so effective that it was widely used for more than 100 years. While the basic corkscrew is still available for purchase, there are now dozens of other corkscrew varieties to choose from. These are today’s most popular varieties:
  • Waiter’s Corkscrew: Also known as a wine key, it has many variations, but frequently it relies on a double hinge that provides extra leverage to make it easier to remove the cork. With its folded body, it resembles a pocket knife. A tiny knife blade, for cutting the foil wrapping on the bottle’s neck, can be found in the handle, which can be crafted in a variety of different materials, including wood and metal. Quick, efficient-and lightweight -no wonder top waiters and sommeliers have been using it for decades.
  • Winged Corkscrews: This popular piece first showed up in the US in the 1930s. As the screw is twisted into the cork, the two levers (the “arms”) are raised; pushing down the levers pulls the cork from the bottle. Oenophiles should ensure they select a variety with a thin screw. Otherwise, it may shred the cork.
  • Lever Corkscrews: Because it is so simple to operate, this is the type of corkscrew most often recommended to beginners. Also known as the bunny ears – the two long levers clearly resemble rabbit ears – it has two handles that hold the bottle in place. After the screw is inserted, the levers are squeezed together and the cork should pop right out.
  • Electric Wine Openers: Mostly battery-powered, these simple-to-use openers require no physical strength at all, making them ideal for the elderly or anyone who happens to have limited arm mobility. Simply push a button and a corkscrew will insert itself into the cork. Many of them also have a foil removal process, too.
  • Ah So Wine Openers: This wine opener is more difficult to use than the other options, but it is ideal for opening vintage bottles of wine or any other bottles which may be sealed with corks that have become brittle. That’s because it is specifically designed to avoid damaging the cork. How does it work? Two thin metal prongs attached to a handle are slid in between the cork and the bottle. Simply twist the handle, pull up, and the cork should come out. Nicknamed the “Butler’s Friend,” because any servant could easily use it to remove the cork, take a quick swig, and then replace it without anyone noticing the bottle had been tampered with. The Ah So has even been known to come to the rescue when a broken cork is stuck in the bottleneck.
  • Air Pressure Wine Openers: This opener uses a needle in place of a screw. Once the hollow needle is inserted all the way through the cork, the simple press of a button sends a small amount of CO2 into the bottle, which immediately pushes the cork out of the bottleneck. Some air pressure openers use pumps instead of automated buttons. It’s fast and requires no exertion, making it the ideal option for a reception when you need to open multiple bottles at the same time. That said, an opener usually only lasts for about 80 to 100 uses, although some come with refillable CO2 packs.

We’ve researched across the web to find the very best wine openers you can buy for any situation and on any budget. We’ve included electric wine openers, high-end handmade ones, your average corkscrew, and more to suit any tastes.

Here are the best wine openers and corkscrews:

Updated on 10/25/2019 by Mara Leighton: Updated prices and formatting. We are currently testing new products, so we'll update this guide soon.

The best wine opener overall

Foto: sourcePulltex

The Pulltap's Double-Hinged Waiter's Corkscrew is the gold standard for waiters and wine lovers worldwide.

Year after year, the Pulltap's Double-Hinged Waiter's Corkscrew appears on list after list of the world's best wine openers. Made by Barcelona-based Pulltex, one of the world's preeminent wine accessories companies, this double-hinged corkscrew does the job and does it well.

For starters, the Teflon-coated screw and the solid stainless steel arms give the opener a sturdy feeling. The serrated knife that serves as a foil cutter is sharp and there is also an easy-to-use bottle opener. The standard handle is black metal but you can opt for other colors or minor upgrades like a chrome finish.

What does double-hinged mean anyway? It means that you have much more leverage to easily remove a cork without breaking it. It actually refers to the fold-out lever that will be placed at two points against the mouth of the bottle. There are single-lever openers out there, but it's well worth shelling out a few more bucks to lessen the number of crumbling corks you encounter.

This wine opener comes with a one-year warranty. User reviews on Amazon are mostly positive, despite an ongoing debate about whether or not customers received the real-deal or a look-alike knockoff. As one reviewer wrote in August 2016: "Forget all the fancy ones, this one works best."

Around the web professional reviewers, including those at Food & Wine and The Wirecutter, pay tribute to this basic, but best-in-class opener.

Pros: Affordable, easy to use, sturdy, bragging rights, travels well, won't chip wine or beer bottles

Cons: Knife is sometimes difficult to open

Buy the Pulltap's Double-Hinged Waiters Corkscrew for $8.14 at Amazon

The best expensive corkscrew

Foto: sourceLaguiole

Impress your friends with the sturdy, exotic, and hand-crafted Laguiole En Aubrac Horn Waiter's Corkscrew.

If money is no object and you're regularly shelling out big bucks for a bottle of wine, then you may opt to go with a luxury wine opener. Laguiole has long been considered the Lamborgini of the wine accessories industry. Made in France, these waiter-style corkscrews have unique handles crafted with amazing materials like ancient trees found in the garden at Versailles, stag's horn and even fossilized mammoth tusks. There is a lot of confusion surrounding Laguiole corkscrews. That's mostly because Laguiole is not actually a brand, but the name of a small town in the south of France. Laguiole became associated with a specific shape of a traditional knife - and later high-quality corkscrews - that were hand-made in Laguiole and the nearby town of Thiers. Unfortunately, the name was never copyrighted, so anyone can claim to make a Laguiole corkscrew and knock-offs abound on the Internet. The three most reputable brand names you should be looking for are Aurac, Chateau, and Forge; in addition, make sure to buy your corkscrew from a well-known dealer. This genuine corkscrew is expertly assembled by a single master craftsman from start to finish, ensuring that your end product is unique. The screw and built-in serrated foil cutter are forged from ultra-strong brushed stainless steel. Your corkscrew also comes with a beautiful wooden storage box and a certificate of authenticity. The corkscrew comes with a lifetime warranty. Around the web, expert reviewers from places like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal tout the extraordinary craftsmanship of Laguiole corkscrews. User reviews on Amazon are limited, as there are few Laguiole corkscrews sold at the commerce site. But those select reviews are mostly positive. "Amazingly practical and a beautiful thing," wrote one verified buyer in August 2016.

We've included a link to buy the corkscrew from Williams & Sonoma, so you know it's the real deal.

Pros: Extraordinary craftsmanship, easy to use, durable, lifetime warranty, bragging rights.

Cons: Expensive

Buy the Laguiole En Aubrac Horn Waiter's Corkscrew from Amazon for $159.95

Buy the Laguiole En Aubrac Horn Waiter's Corkscrew from Williams & Sonoma for $249.95

The best electric wine opener

Foto: sourceOster/Facebook

Give your arms a break while the sleek-looking Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener with Foil Cutter effortlessly opens bottle after bottle.

Designed to fit all traditional wine bottles, the Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener with Foil Cutter comes in three colors, including silver, Merlot, or Champagne, and it can open a bottle in a matter of seconds. The unit comes with a separate foil opener that can be conveniently stored in the base so that it not easily lost.

Use the ergonomically designed soft-grip handle to place the opener on top of the bottle. Then, a simple push of a button activates the unit's corkscrew spiral, and voila - the cork is rapidly removed from the bottle. Simply press the upper part of the switch and the spiral turns in the opposite direction to release the cork from the wine opener.

Fully charging the unit takes six to eight hours. After that, it is good to go for approximately 30 bottles without having to return it to the small base, which includes a power indicator light. The opener also has a blue LED charging light on it, so you will never be caught unprepared.

This wine opener comes with a one-year warranty. User reviews on Amazon are mostly positive with many customers noting they didn't think that they wanted or needed an electric wine opener, but are thrilled that they took the plunge. As one reviewer wrote in March 2017: "This is effortless … no wonder other reviewers say that they only need one hand."

Around the web professional reviewers, including those at Food & Wine, The Wirecutter, and Your Best Digs, continually name the Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener with Foil Cutter as the top choice in electric wine openers.

Pros: Easy-to-use, quick, affordable, sleek design, long-lasting

Cons: Bulky, not good for travel

Buy the Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener with Foil Cutter, FFP at Amazon for $17.99

The best winged corkscrew

Foto: sourceHiCoup

Functional and stylish, the Wing Corkscrew Wine Opener by HiCoup can easily handle any kind of cork, and it comes with a wine bottle stopper, too.

This elegant Wing Corkscrew Wine Opener by HiCoup with Bonus Wine Stopper is different from many of its winged counterparts. It is designed with a longer body and a bottom collar that helps prevent the screw from breaking the cork. The polished helix screw is extra long to be able to efficiently remove corks of any style or size.

In addition, the ergonomically designed turning knob is a full two-inches wide, which makes it comfortable to grasp and easy to turn. This version of the wine opener comes with a bonus wine stopper.

Also doubling as a beer opener, this long-lasting corkscrew is rust-proof, resistant to staining and dishwasher safe. In fact, the Wing Corkscrew Wine Opener by HiCoup comes with a lifetime guarantee. That's no surprise. Although HiCoup is a relatively new company - it started in 2014 - it already offers legendary customer service.

User reviews from Amazon are overwhelmingly positive. Around the web, professional reviewers, including those from Wine Turtle, Heavy, and Top 10 Best Pro, also give high marks to the Wing Corkscrew Wine Opener by HiCoup.

Pros: Stylish, sleek, padded arms, easy to use, easy to maintain, extraordinary customer service

Cons: Occasional cork shredding

Buy the Wing Corkscrew Wine Opener by HiCoup with Bonus Wine Stopper at Amazon for $15.90

The best lever-style corkscrew

Foto: sourceRabbit

The Rabbit Vertical Corkscrew with Foil Cutter and Extra Spiral is a stylish lever opener that easily removes any type of cork in just three seconds.

Metrokane, a leading wine accessories company founded in 1983, created the original Rabbit brand of manual and electric corkscrews. While the corkscrews have been much copied, they have never been replicated and continue to dominate the field. The innovative standing design of the Rabbit Vertical Corkscrew with Foil Cutter and Extra Spiral elevates the original Rabbit's quality and performance to an even higher level.

There is no manual twisting with this opener. Place it on the bottle, lower and raise the handle, and the cork will be instantly removed. One more push of the lever ejects the cork. This corkscrew is compatible with all types of corks, including plastic and synthetic, and comes with a foil cutter and one replacement spiral.

This stainless steel durable opener comes with a 10-year warranty. User reviews on Amazon are mostly positive, with users touting the ease of use. Around the web professional reviewers, including those at Food & Wine and Gear Lifehacker, name the Rabbit Vertical Corkscrew with Foil Cutter and Extra Spiral as one of the best examples of a lever-style opener.

Pros: Super fast, easy-to-use, stylish, durable

Cons: Bulky and hard to store

Buy the Rabbit Vertical Corkscrew with Foil Cutter and Extra Spiral in Gun Metal at Amazon for $36.84