Alternative Methods of Opening Wine Without a Corkscrew

You are so excited to attend your best friend’s party! You arrived early to help prepare and set up. However, while doing an inventory of needed party materials, you realized something: your friend doesn’t have a corkscrew! And the party will start soon! What should you do?

In times like these, creativity is your greatest asset. You must find a solution – not drinking the wine is not an option. We will tackle some methods of opening wine without a corkscrew to prepare for similar problems in the future.

Before we start, let us first review how a typical corkscrew works.

Steps in Opening a Wine Bottle Using a Corkscrew

Typically, opening wine only requires two materials: a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. The most popular type of corkscrew is called a waiter’s key. To open the wine, you need to:

• First, remove the foil or the covering. Place the knife part of the corkscrew underneath the bottle’s lip. Turn the bottle to slice the foil and then remove the cover foil.
• Push the corkscrew through the middle of the cork and turn clockwise. Stop when most of the corkscrew has penetrated the cork.
• Pull the handle until half of the cork is out of the bottle.
• Repeat if necessary.
• Pull the cork until only a small part remains in the bottle.
• Using your hand, pull the cork out.

The instructions above are quite easy to follow. But what if you don’t have a corkscrew? What can you do?

Other Ways to Open a Wine Bottle

Opening wine without a corkscrew will require different materials. Take note of them in the list below:

• Use a screw, screwdriver, and hammer
• Get a long screw and using a screwdriver, screw it to the cork. Stop pushing when you only have around one inch of the screw visible. Pull out the cork using the claw (the backside) of the hammer. This method requires a little strength, so you better prepare.
• Use a wooden spoon
• You can use the handle of a spoon to push the cork until it goes inside the bottle. You’ll need to hold the bottle steady, as it can easily slip using this method.
• Open it with a bike pump
• Punch the needle through the cork until it reaches beyond the cork. Then pump air and watch the cork move out from the bottle.
• Use a serrated knife or keys
• Opening wine without a corkscrew is also possible if you have keys or a serrated knife. Push the knife or keys into the cork at an angle (around 45 degrees). Then move the item in a circular motion, slowly removing the cork. After a few rounds, the cork will come out.
• Use a towel and the wall
• Wrap the bottom of the bottle with a towel and then hit it repeatedly against a wall. Use just enough strength to move the cork but be careful with the glass bottle. Continue until the cork slides out of the bottle, and you can pull it free. Practice caution when using this method. You don’t want to break the bottle, so make sure you form an adequate cushion with the towel before hitting the wall.
• Use a shoe
• If you’re afraid of using the wall, you can use a shoe to slap the wine’s bottom. However, before doing this, you must wrap the wine bottle with a towel and then place it upside down between your legs. Continue slapping until you notice the cork sliding out of the bottle.

Now, you know some techniques used to open wine bottles without a corkscrew. If ever you find yourself missing a corkscrew, then you can utilize one of the above techniques.

This guest post was written by Bill Marcia at Stags’ Leap Winery.

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