Pushing The Cork Into The Bottle
How To Open A Wine Bottle With A Nail Cutter
This method is fun. Making a tool from something is always fun. So heres how to make a nail clipper work for you to open that bottle:
The method is similar to the key, knife, spoon tricks, so its another makeshift tool you can use to get the job done.
Toenail clippers will work for this better as they are bigger and will provide a better grip for the twisting action.
Air pressure is your friend when it comes to getting the cork out. If you can increase it within the bottle, the thing will fly out of there like a rocket. There are several methods , and if you want to get technical a compressor will allow you to pop those bottles by a dozen .
All you need for this is a pump needle to insert through the cork. Then turn on the compressor and watch it pop.
Open Wine With A Bike Pump Or Ball Pump
Another solution they consider acceptable is the bike or ball pump method. This involves stabbing the needle of the pump into the cork and slowly, carefully pushing air into the bottle until the cork eventually rises up. “This is actually incredibly clever!,” says Brickel. “There are some very expensive wine openers out there that basically do this same thing air pressure can be your friend.”
Only caveat here is the obvious question: “Why would I have a bike pump and not a wine key?!” Selinger jokes.
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How To Open A Wine Bottle Without A Corkscrew: 10 Methods
Paul has been a fan of the grape for many years and is particularly partial to a glass of La Rioja, Cabernet Sauvignon, or cava.
If you want to find out lots of ways to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew, read on…
Public domain image via Pixabay
Most wine lovers have been in situations where they’re at a social event, on the beach, by the pool, or sailing in a boat with a bottle of their favorite wine, only to find that they can’t open it because they don’t have a corkscrew to remove the cork.
This article looks at various ways of opening a wine bottle without a corkscrew and then suggests a few ideas for avoiding the situation in the future.
So here, in no particular order, is my list of ways to uncork a wine bottle.
How To Open A Wine Bottle With A Bicycle Pump
Good old air pressure comes to your aid again. If you have a bicycle pump with a pump needle handy, you will pop that cork out in no time. Heres how:
Its simple, albeit not so sanitary. I wouldnt resort to using a bike pump for this unless it was the last resort. Simply because pumps like these have oil in their mechanism which might end up blown into the wine youre about to drink.
The least you can do is to at least use a clean stainless steel needle for the pump.
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Push The Cork In With The Handle Of A Wooden Spoon Or Any Blunt Object Similar In Size
This is also a pretty safe method to use in comparison to some of the others on this list, but it does have its downsides. To open the bottle, take the handle of the wooden spoon , and push the cork down into the bottle of wine. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to remove the cork from the bottle once you push it in. On top of that, if the bottle of wine is old, the cork may crumble and shed into the wine once pushed in. While this is not an ideal result, if you are with friends and plan on drinking the whole bottle, there is no need to worry. Just use a strainer and pour the bottle of wine through it into a decanter to remove the cork pieces.
The Screw & Hammer Method
This method is the safest and most foolproof way to open a wine bottle.
You’ll need a screwdriver, a screw , and a hammer.
If you’re gentle, the cork should come out perfectly without any damage to the wine or the cork.
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How To Use A Waiters Corkscrew To Open A Bottle Of Wine
- First things first, you need to remove the foil that covers the cork.
- Simply run the knife of the waiters corkscrew around the rim of the wine bottle and peel the foil away.
- Place your corkscrew in the centre of the cork and push it down slightly, pressing the sharp screw into the cork.
- Rotate the corkscrew clockwise whilst asserting pressure, forcing the corkscrew to turn into the cork.
- When youve twisted the corkscrew into the cork approximately halfway down the cork, or until the last coil of the corkscrew is covered in the cork, or until you can push the first step of the fulcrum against the lip of the bottle, youre ready to remove the cork.
- Lever the cork out of the wine bottle using the step of the corkscrew to help you.
- When the cork is halfway out, position the second step of the corkscrew against the lip of the bottle and prise the remaining cork out of the bottle.
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.
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Use A Screw A Screwdriver And A Hammer
This is probably one of the safest methods on this list, but it does require some resilience and strength, as it can fatigue you easily. You simply take a screw and screw it into the cork with a screwdriver until there is about an inch or so left showing. Then, you take the backside of the hammer, lock it under the screw, and pull the cork out. You may also need a towel to wipe the sweat off your forehead once the mission is complete.
How To Open A Wine Bottle With Chopsticks
Use a chopstick to simply push the cork into the bottle. Its the same trick as using a pen. Nothing fancy, but its a bit easier than the pen way as a chopstick is bigger and sturdier.
Are you in a need of a corkscrew all of a sudden and youre a crafty guy or gal? Put all the hacks aside and make your very own DIY corkscrew.
You will need:
A simple project, indeed, provided youve got the tools and skills for it.
If you dont have the tools nor skills for the welding project above, theres always this option a kit. Use it to make your own custom and fancy wine opener. You can even make it as a gift.
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How To Open A Wine Bottle With A Nail And Hammer
This is pretty much the same idea as above only it uses a nail, so you can deal without a screw.
So this method is simpler but it has a slightly worse success rate. Unlike a screw, its easy to pull out the nail from the cork without removing the latter. This needs practice and getting the right angle.
Another tricky but a cool hack to open that bottle nonetheless. This time were using a cheap wire hanger. You will probably need pliers for this:
As I said, the tricky part is getting the wire in. The cork is very tight and the wire is pretty thick, so it will take some effort and practice.
The Other Shoe Method
Don’t have a wall? Or maybe you’re in a hotel with neighbors on the other side of the wall. Either way, this is a way to use your shoe to tap out the cork without making much noise. Fair warning, though: you’ll need to be extremely vigilant about how far the cork moves with every tap.
Make sure to check the cork before every tap the worst-case scenario here is for the cork to come out all the way, spilling the wine.
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Hanger Method Didnt Work For Us
If youre really desperate to get into your bottle of red and youve exhausted all other options, then its worth having a go at this for the sake of it. Though, we just cant see how this method would ever work.
For this technique you need to straighten the tip of a wire hanger slightly, feed it into the bottleneck alongside the cork and then hold the bottle at a slant so you can hook the hanger under the cork, which should enable you to pull it out.
We got ours about halfway down the side of the cork before we gave up. It was impossible to push the hanger any further down.
Al Fresco Use Mother Nature / A Tree
If you find yourself bare-footed in a forest without a shoe, screwdriver or Sharpie to use dont worry! Mother nature will always be your friend.
Wrap a cloth or t-shirt around the bottle to give you a bit of grip then as per the shoe method tap it gently against the trunk of a steady tree until the cork pops right out.
Once again, be prepared to lose your bottle of wine if you dont do this one properly.
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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.
The Slap Or Shoe Method
Ok, so this method doesnt quite require no extra tools, but in most cases someone in your group is going to have a shoe on them, or with them, so its not a stretch to assume that youll have the tools needed for this method.
There are two ways you can handle this method, but the idea is the same.
The first way involves your shoe and a wall. Put the bottle of wine in your shoe , then youre going to smack the bottom of the wine bottle against the wall repeatedly until the cork comes out enough for you to manually pull it the rest of the way.
Dont go too overboard when slapping the bottle against the wall, you dont want to break the bottle.
If you dont have a wall available, say youre sitting around a campfire for example, then you can simply take the bottle, place it upside down between your legs, and slap the bottom of the bottle with your shoe until the cork loosens enough for you to pull it out the remainder of the way.
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Using Keys Or A Serrated Knife
Below is the step-by-step how to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew but using keys or a serrated knife.
Step 1. Search and find a serrated key or knife.
Step 2. Take your wine and aim the screwdriver to wine cork at a 45-degree angle. Make sure to stick it quite deeply.
Step 3. Twist the key using the same motion as you would with a corkscrew until the cork moved up slowly.
Step 4. Once the cork has moved upward, twist and pull with your hands.
Step 5. Voila! The cork is removed, and now you can sip your wine.
How To Open A Wine Bottle With A Spoon
More kitchen utensils coming your way to help you get that cork out. This time its a spoon. The method is really the same as using a knife or a key:
The caveats:
- A spoon doesnt have sharp edges like a knife or a key, so its much more difficult to insert it into the cork.
- It bends easily so its very difficult to twist it in a way that gets the cork pulled.
If you have a spoon handy, you probably have a knife too. So use it instead. I do have to give credit to this method its safer than using something sharp.
So youre in the office, its after hours, and you want to let some steam off with the coworkers, or perhaps you have something to celebrate. Someone pulls out a bottle of wine from their bag yay! But hold your horses who has a corkscrew in the office?
Luckily, you can use office supplies to get that cork out. Most of these items can be used with the methods already listed in this article:
- A pen
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Make A Handle Out Of Scissors
Open a pair of scissors so that the two blades are spread apart from one another. Stab one blade straight down into the cork. Gripping the scissors where the two blades meet, twist the cork out, pulling up little by little until it pops free. Its easier than it sounds. Here are 10 more brilliant uses for ordinary kitchen tools you never thought of.
