How to open a wine bottle with any kind of corkscrew

Many people think opening a bottle of wine is a difficult process, but with the right tools, it’s quick and easy.
We break down how to open a wine bottle with any type of corkscrew and offer recommendations for great corkscrews that get the job done.
Barvivo makes our favorite waiter’s corkscrew, HiCoup makes a great affordable wing corkscrew, and Oster has the best electric wine opener for just $21.
See more: The best corkscrew wine opener

Opening a bottle of wine is an art.

There are lots of ways to open a bottle of wine, many of which are decidedly unusual. You can tuck the bottle into a shoe and bang it against a wall. You can use a screw and a pair of pliers. You can slide a knotted shoelace down past the cork and then pop it out by force.

Or, of course, you can use one of the many dedicated cork-removing products, such as classic waiter’s corkscrew.

We'll get into the best wine opening tool options soon, but before we get to that, a quick reminder for those who truly are new to the wine bottle opening game: Make sure you cut away the foil or wax covering the cork before you try to pop the thing out. This is all the more true if you're using an electric corkscrew. Consider investing in a foil cutter if you plan to start opening lots of wine bottles. You can also check out our guide to the best wine openers here.

How to open a bottle of wine:

How to open a wine bottle with a waiter's corkscrew

Foto: Source: Barvivo

A waiter's corkscrew is the little pocketknife-style device with a folding corkscrew, fulcrum and boot lever (the metal piece you rest on the lip of the bottleneck), and a foil cutter.

You can get an excellent waiter's corkscrew for less than $15, and you can find perfectly adequate options for well under $10, too, but our favorite is the $13 Barvino Professional Corkscrew.

Once you have the foil off the top of the bottleneck, here's how to open the bottle:

1. Twist the corkscrew clockwise straight down into the cork until the last coil is covered.

2. Rest the middle step of the fulcrum on the lip of the bottleneck and firmly pull away from the bottle with the handle, lifting the cork halfway out of the bottle.

3. Place the lowest step of the fulcrum (the boot lever) on the lip and draw the cork up entirely.

4. If it doesn't pop completely free, twist the corkscrew slightly and pull it out. Be careful not to bend the cork so you don't break it in half.

How to open a wine bottle with a wing corkscrew

Foto: Source: HiCoup

Wing corkscrews require less exertion of strength, thanks to the application of a classic simple machine: the lever. Or, in this case, two levers. Also, gears play a role here, as does torque, but enough physics and mechanics - let's open wine with a wing corkscrew.

1. Position the corkscrew above the wine bottle and firmly grasp the bottom of the corkscrew and the top of the bottle with one hand.

2. Twist the handle clockwise until the coils of the corkscrew are fully embedded in the cork. The wings will rise as the corkscrew draws itself downward.

3. Place the bottle on a flat surface, then use both hands to press the wings down simultaneously, drawing the cork up out of the bottle as you do so.

How to open a wine bottle with an electric corkscrew

Foto: Source: Oster/Facebook

While not the fastest way to open a wine bottle (a master hand with a waiter's corkscrew will get it done in about five seconds), an electric corkscrew is certainly the easiest way to do it.

If you can push a button, you can open a bottle of wine with an electric corkscrew:

1. Slide the electric corkscrew over the top of the bottle, ensuring the tip of the first coil is centered on the cork.

2. Press and hold the extraction button until the cork pops out.

3. Push the other button to get the cork back out of the shaft.

That's it. And that last step wasn't even technically part of the process.

Check out our other wine-related buying guides

Foto: Source: Winc Instagram