/ Use A Sparkling Wine Stopper
If you want to keep a sparkling wine fresh, your best bet is a Champagne stopper. They are inexpensive and can keep your bubbles going for up to five days. Traditional method sparkling wines like Champagne and Cava will last longer than tank method wines like Prosecco. Dont be tempted to put a teaspoon in the neck of your bottle – this is proven to be ineffective.;
If you would like to find out more about;the best glass for drinking;Champagne,;read our post here.
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The Wire Hanger Technique
And you thought you could only cleared clogged drains with unwound hangers, really. If you twist a spare wire hanger into the shape of a corkscrew, you can easily wiggle your cork out of the bottle with a few quick twists.
If in the course of your adventures in DIY opening youve managed to shred your cork into bits and send them spewing into the wine itself, a last-minute hack for you strain your wine over a coffee filter. Itll be like the cork never even existed in the first place.
Hammer And Screw Method
This method essentially involves driving a screw into the cork and then pulling it out using the “claw” of a hammer. It’s a relatively straightforward and reliable method in my experience, but it does depend on you having access to some household tools.If you can also find a screwdriver, even better, as you can use it to screw the screw down into the cork, providing an even firmer and easier removal. If you don’t have access to a claw hammer, then a pair of household pliers can be used to grip the screw and pull out the cork.As with most methods, you should be careful, as it is easy to spill wine, or worse, injure yourself.
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How To Open A Wine Bottle With A Shoe
And finally, the masterpiece. The most epic and artful way to open a wine bottle without a wine key. With a shoe.
Itâs a little known fact that every sommelier learns how to open up a wine bottle with a shoe during their certifications. Just in case.
Thatâs not true. Sorry.
Letâs just get into it. Place the wine bottle into the shoe, its base upright where your heel would usually rest. Find a hard surface, a brick wall ideally, and hit the bottom of the shoeâs heel on it repeatedly. After a few strikes, the cork should have moved up slightly. At that point you can wrestle it out with your hand.
And, trust us, there is nothing more charming than opening a bottle of wine with a shoe and pouring it directly into a nice wine decanter. Hereâs a great resource about how to decant wine if youâre intrigued. You can also learn how to clean a decanter so your crystal can shine bright.
How To Get A Stuck Cork Out Of A Wine Bottle
We’re sharing the tried-and-true methods that wine professionals turn to.
Whether you’ve been waiting to savor a special bottle of wine or are just craving a casual glass of rosé, few things are more frustrating than a stuck or broken cork. But stubborn or crumbling corks are no match for these tips from wine professionals. We’re also sharing the time-honored tools for removing a cork from a bottle of wine that will help ensure you don’t run into this problem in the first place.
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How To Open A Wine Bottle With A Knife
Hereâs how to open a bottle without a wine bottle opener in a very similar way to the key method above.
Youâll take a relatively sharp steak knife . The goal is to skewer the middle of the cork downward and at an angle. So insert the knife just off the edge of the cork, angled toward the center. Push it down about an inch. Then youâll have a good enough grip on the cork to start pushing or pulling it circularly.
Eventually, the cork will loosen and come up a bit. Itâs basically the key method but with a knife.
There are a few considerations to make based on more unique styles of wine, however.
Open Your Wine Bottle Without A Corkscrew
So you are looking for the best ways to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew.
Maybe youre on an impromptu date with a special someone and left your waiters corkscrew at home. Or you find yourself in the middle of a picnic with friends, only to realize that youve forgotten your reliable winged wine opener. Either way, dont succumb to despair. There are plenty of other ways to open a wine bottle. Not all of them are foolproof, but then why not have some fun in the process?
More than a matter of thirst or necessity, opening a wine bottle in a new way is an occasion for fun. You could have a good laugh with your friends about it. And test your patience in the process.
Without further ado, lets find out how to open a wine bottle without a bottle opener in 12 different ways. Its easier than you think. Most of the time, its not even all that messy.
You can avoid having to open wine without a corkscrew. Here are some of the best options for foil cutters and wine bottle openers.
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No Hanger To Spare Use Paper Clips
If destroying a perfectly good hanger is out of the question, you can use paper clips instead. Its the same concept as with the hanger, but this one requires more precision.
a.) Partially straighten two paper clips, but just the middle part. Dont straighten the U shapes on both ends.
b.) Slide one down between the cork and side of the bottle, then do the same on the opposite side of the cork. Push down until the U-shape is below the cork.
c.) Rotate the clip to position the U-shapes beneath the cork.
d.) Join the two other U-shapes outside the bottle. You can insert a pencil under the hooks or tie them together in a tight knot.
e.) Slowly pull the clips up, making sure the cork is going as well. Give it a few twists while pulling up.
How To Store An Open Bottle Of Wine
After you have recorked your wine bottle, youll want to store it in the following way to prevent oxidation as much as possible.
- Keep the bottle out of the light.
- Refrigerate the bottle after opening regardless of the color of the wine. Chilling the wine slows the oxygen molecules.
- Store the bottle upright to minimize the surface area of wine exposed to oxygen.
- Avoid dramatic changes in temperature. If you are serving a red wine, set it out half an hour before serving so it can gradually increase in temperature.
- If you have less than half of the bottle remaining, transfer the wine to a smaller bottle before refrigerating. With less room for oxygen in a bottle, the oxidation process can take much longer.
In these conditions, open wine can usually last for approximately 3-5 days. It is important to note that sparkling wines and champagnes will behave differently and may need a specific type of cork to remain fresh or may actually need to be stored open in the refrigerator.
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The Old Screw And Hammer Trick
Screws are fairly easy to find at home, and if youre lucky, youll find a screw with a hook just like what you use to hang picture frames. Its the easiest and most successful trick there is because youre just mimicking how a corkscrew works.
a.) Just screw the picture hook into the cork and wiggle the cork out, nice and easy.
b.) If you have a regular hookless screw, you can use the backside of a hammer to lock the screw under it and pull the cork out. You can also use a pair of pliers.
How To Open A Sparkling Wine Bottle
The process is different if youâre trying to figure out how to open a Roscato wine bottle. Or any other screw-capped or pressurized sparkling wine bottle.
First, always keep the bottle pointed away from guests and keep a thumb or hand on the cork at all times. Then remove the foil by either pulling on the tab or cutting it cleanly at the bottom of the cage. Untwist the wire cage and loosen it for removal. Tighten your grip on the cork and, holding the bottle at a 45-degree angle, twist the bottle . Do so until the cork is released and let the CO2 rush quiet.
Two things should be re-emphasized here. The wire cage shouldnât be removed until after the cork is released from the bottle. And the bottle should be twisted, not the cork.
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Add Pressure With A Bike Pump
Happen to have a bike pump nearby? Probably not, but it’s still a neat tool to use for a unique wine-opening method, as Kristy Kreme shows on YouTube.
Stick your bike pump into the cork, and get pumping. As you force air into and through the cork, you’ll create enough pressure to make it fly out of the bottle.
Push It With A Wooden Spoon
A wooden spoon with a long, thin handle is the perfect instrument to shove the cork right into the bottle and free your wine, according to Food Mob Bites. Remove any foil covering, and apply pressure to the top of the cork. With some strength, it should pop free and slide into the bottle without creating any cork crumbs.
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Make A Handle Out Of A Key
Nervous about using a hammer or scissors? Heres how to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew and without potentially dangerous objects. Drive a house key diagonally into the cork at a 45-degree angle until it is all the way in. Slowly twist the key around and up, around and up, until you are able to get a grip on the cork and pull it out. In case using one of these tricks ends badly, heres everything you need to know about red wine stain removal, including;how to get red wine out of clothes.
Why Does Wine Go Off In The First Place
Wine has quite a few enemies – light and heat amongst them. But exposure to oxygen is the greatest threat it faces.
Oxygen turns wine into vinegar. So when considering how to preserve wine, its key to make sure that your wine is protected from exposure to the air as much as possible. A good start is remembering to close the bottle after each pour, but this doesnt really go far enough.
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How Do You Open A Wine Bottle With A Shoe And Wall
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Chef Hacks: How to Open Wine With a Shoe
Likewise, how do you open a wine bottle with a high heel? Hold the toe end of the shoe in your right hand. Bang the heel end of the shoe against the wall, holding the wine bottle in firmly.It should do so more with each bang.
Similarly one may ask, how do you open a wine bottle without an opener?
7 Ways To Open A Bottle Of Wine Without A Corkscrew
What can you use to open wine bottle?
As long as you can find a toolbox, you can get a bottle of wine open with a screw, screwdriver, and hammer. Stick the screw into the cork, then use the screwdriver to screw it in further.
The Hammer And Screw Method:
A post shared by Kelli Zaremba on Apr 14, 2017 at 3:43pm PDT
I recently was at a wake service for a family member when someone realized my grandmothers corkscrew, probably from the 1960s if Im honest, had jammed. I prepared to excuse myself to run down to Rite Aid when my uncle surprised the entire crowd by opening the wine with a few home improvement tools in a nearby drawer.
He started by twisting a screw into the cork using a screwdrivernot deep into the bottle, but enough so that most of the screw remained outside the cork.
Then he;grabbed a hammer and lifted the screw in one swift motion, and voilathe cork popped out of the bottle, and everyone clapped like they were watching a magician at work.
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Knot And String Method
You will need a screwdriver, or another long thin metal implement, plus a thick piece of string or cord for this method.
First of all, make a hole in the cork with the screwdriver. Then tie a knot at the end of the string and push the knotted end down the hole with the screwdriver. You can then yank the cork out with the string.
This method requires a lot of physical strength and effort, it isn’t one of my favorites, but it’s worth trying if all you have is a screwdriver and piece of string.
Bonus Special Method For Vikings Only
We don’t suggest this for everyone. If you happen to be a Viking with a bottle of wine to open you can try a few methods. One option is to whack the bottle with your mighty ax. This should have the effect of splitting it open and the wine will spill out. Make sure to position another Viking directly below the bottle.
If that fails, Vikings can also open a wine bottle without a corkscrew by firing an arrow at the bottle. This should smash the glass and send a stream of wine into the air. Be prepared to catch the wine.
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/ Use A Wine Preservation System
If you dont mind paying, a professional wine preserver can help you keep your wine fresh for even longer. Although there are many gadgets and devices available, two wine preservation systems seem to be the most popular and effective.
Vacuum pumps suck the air out of an opened bottle so it can be re-sealed hermetically without the oxygen affecting the wine. This is an affordable option commonly used in restaurants and bars.
Vacu Vin is the best-known brand this company invented the vacuum pump wine preservation system. They promise up to two weeks extra life for an opened bottle of wine.
Inert wine gas preservation systems can keep your opened wine fresh for even longer, but this is usually more of an enthusiast option since they can be quite expensive. This system is based on inserting an inert gas usually argon – into the bottle. This gas, being;heavier than oxygen, creates a protective layer on the surface of the wine.
The best-known brand is Coravin. This brand offers a device with a needle which punctures a hole in the cork to extract wine without pulling the cork out thus avoiding any contact with oxygen. The wine is then replaced with argon gas and the cork naturally re-seals as if the bottle had never been opened.
There is also an option for screwcap wines that, according to Coravin, can keep wine fresh for up three months.
Private Preserve promises that the wine will last for months and even years.
Standards Of Proper Wine Service
Certain traditions and rituals accompany the service of all types of wine. Of course, you can select the steps of service that are best for the level of formality in your dining room.;
Prepare your servers and bartenders to be ready to talk about your wine list. Customers might ask about origins, blend types, and flavor notes. Staff wine tastings or tastings during training are a great way to educate your servers and have a little fun after a shift.
The level of wine service that you want your servers to perform should be clearly communicated. Tell your servers where to place wine glasses on the table, how to position bottles and chillers, and how many steps of service they should observe.
These are the highlights of proper wine service find the most detailed guide to proper wine service here, from the Court of Master Sommeliers.
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