Tuesday, March 26, 2024

How To Open Wine Without Corkscrew

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Prevention Is Better Than Cure

How To Open Wine Without Cork Screw 2 Ways

The way to never get caught out, of course, is to always carry a corkscrew with you. That’s not as difficult as it sounds. I have a Victorinox Swiss Army Multi-tool Pocket Knife which I take with me everywhere. I used to keep it in the central console of the car, but later fastened it to my key ring, so that now I’m never without a corkscrew .

If you are going to buy a Swiss Army Knife with a view to opening wine, it’s worth spending a little more money, in my experience, as the corkscrew tool often breaks with the cheaper pocket knives. I bought my Victorinox nearly five years ago, it follows a classic design and is a quality product, and everything still works great, including the corkscrew!

There are also some great key chain wine-opening tools available that are focused entirely on unscrewing bottles, they are usually less bulky than multi-tool pocket knives as well as more affordable.

Another tip is to always to keep a corkscrew in your car when traveling, the glove box, central console, or trunk are all good places. It’s amazing how many times it can come in handy!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the authorâs knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Screw And Hammer Method

A more elaborate rendition of the ‘key as handle’ method above, this method involves inserting a screw into the cork, then using the forked end of the hammer to pry the cork out by using the leverage of the screw. Just like with a real wine key, twisting as you pull upwards always helps.

“Typically, if you find yourself without a corkscrew, you probably won’t have a screw or hammer either,” Spoto points out. “With that said, screwing a screw in the cork and using a hammer to pull it out is a very safe method.”

Pull The Cork Out With A Screw Hook

An easier variation of the hammer and screw method, but requiring quite a specific tool – the screw hook method is one of the easier options available. Use a good sized screw for this, one where you can fit at least two fingers in the hook.

  • With your hands, screw the screw hook into the cork until just the hook is showing.

  • With a firm grip on the bottle, pull the hook until the cork comes out.

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    Bring Out Your Serrated Knife

    Needless to say, this method requires the utmost caution.

    a.) Find a knife that will fit easily into the neck of the wine bottle. Any small or pocket knife would do the trick, but a serrated knife gives you the best chance because the blade will grip onto the cork better.

    b.) Carefully push the blade through the cork. Next, rock the knife back and forth without applying too much downward force. Do that until the knife goes all the way through the cork.

    c.) Now twist the knife with a slight pull, and slowly rock it out. Make sure not to break off pieces of the cork into your wine.

    Heres a 37-second video on how to open a wine bottle with a knife:

    Pushing The Cork Into The Bottle

    8 Ways to Open a Wine Bottle Without a Corkscrew
  • 1Find an object with blunt ends. It should be narrower than the cork and something that will not stab, shatter, burst, chip, or break the cork or bottle. A cheap white ballpoint pen or basic marker , in each case with the cap on, will work well. You could also use a long rod, a cylindrical container of chapstick, or a slim knife sharpener. Carabiners work well, too.XResearch source
  • 2Place the bottle on the floor or a steady surface. You can put in your lap to keep it in place. You could simply rest it on a table as well.XResearch source
  • You can also place the object against a wall or other vertical surface and press horizontally. Push on the bottle’s wide base to force the cork in easily. Hold the neck area and the other end of your object to prevent slipping. Make sure the surface is strong enough so that it will not dimple, or protected, like a wall padded with some junk mail.
  • 3Set your object against the cork. The cork is usually already recessed slightly into the bottle’s neck. If the cork is flush with the end of the bottle, push your object against the cork to force it in a little. This will allow your object to stay in place without slipping off the side of the bottle.
  • 4Push the cork down. Point the bottle away from people, just in case wine sprays out. While gripping the bottle with one hand and your object with the other hand, push firmly on the cork until it falls into the bottle. Be ready for the wine to splash a bit when the cork hits it.XResearch source
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    How To Open Wine

    By: Recipelion.com Test Kitchen

    Learn How to Open Wine for your next holiday party or celebration. It’s an important skill to master if you’re going to be a great host or hostess. Whether you enjoy red, white or rose, most wines are corked, meaning you will need to learn how to use a wine opener. It can be a little tricky if you’ve never done it before, which is why our step-by-step video breaks it down in a few easy-to-follow steps. One you practice uncorking a bottle of wine a few times, you’re sure to become a pro! Now you can make all your parties and special occasions complete with a nice glass of wine. Cheers!

    Difficulty LevelEasy

    What goes better with wine than cheese? Time to try this Christmas Tree Cheese Plate

    Method #1:

  • Remove the foil at the top of the bottle. Using a corkscrew , pierce the top of the cork and begin screwing it in. Make sure you hold the bottom of the corkscrew and the top of the wine bottle firmly in your grip while you’re doing this. The arms will begin to raise as you screw downward.

  • Once the arms of the corkscrew are completely raised, push them back down to release the cork. You will need to jimmy the remaining portion of the cork that is still stuck in the bottle out with your hands.

  • Method #2:

  • If you prefer to use a wine key, you will need to do relatively the same process with some minor variations.

  • Tear the top of the foil off the bottle by using the knife in your wine key.

  • How To Open A Wine Bottle Without Corkscrew

    How to Open a Wine Bottle Without Corkscrew

    Today is Friday. Play a dinner with colleagues on the pretext of opening a few bottles of wine that you bought on your last trip. Good company, excellent food.

    However, when you take the first bottle of wine out of the wine cellar, you realize that you do not have a corkscrew. Knowing that neighbors are already sleeping, only one question arises: How to open a bottle of wine without a cork?

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    Use An Actual Corkscrew

    Once the cork foil, wine cage, and other material have been removed, you are ready to start. Lets assume you have an actual corkscrew. With your corkscrew in center of the cork, slowly twist the corkscrew in place. You will then be able to extract the cork from the bottle.

    If you dont own a corkscrew, go to your local wine shop and buy one. Wine is a hobby you can enjoy with minimal accessories and gadgets. It is much easier to learn how to open cork wine when you have the right equipment.

    Push It In With A Spoon

    How to Open a Wine Bottle Without a Corkscrew

    Use the handle of a spoon or any similar object that you have at hand. The object must be blunt and preferably hygienic. You dont want to cut into the cork, only to push it in. Place the bottle on a steady surface and push in the cork. Depending on the cork, sometimes it may crumble in the process. If that happens, you want to have a strainer ready before you pour out the wine.

    Watch a video of someone opening wine with a spoon.

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    How To Open A Wine Bottle With A Pen

    One of the easiest methods on the list. Granted, it doesnt pull out the cork but rather pushes it in. Nonetheless, you get to the good stuff. So heres how:

  • Take a sturdy pen and put it perpendicularly into the top of the cork.
  • Now, push it with all youve got until it ends up in the bottle.
  • Thats it, in a matter of seconds you have your wine open. Its a bit dirty as you get the cork in your wine, but it works.

    You can use any object that fits to push the cork into the bottle this way.

    The Towel Wrap Method

    This one is risky, but if you take your time, it should work perfectly. You’ll need 1-2 thick towels or blankets.

  • Wrap the bottom of the bottle with towels or fabrics.
  • Gently thump the bottom of the bottle against the wall.
  • Repeat until the cork is nearly out.
  • Remove the cork with your hand.
  • Don’t try to get it all out at once! The key here is to move the cork a little at a time.

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    How To Open Wine Bottle With A Torch

    More ways to use heat to your favor in opening that bottle. A cooking blow torch comes to your aid. The idea is the same as using a lighter:

  • Heat the neck of the bottle at the cork level .
  • Keep turning the bottle and heating it evenly from all sides.
  • It pops out due to expanding air in a few minutes.
  • This is a better and safer method than the lighter, but you need to have a cooking torch available.

    Anatomy Of A Waiter’s Corkscrew

    How can you open a wine bottle without a corkscrew ...

    Most waiter’s corkscrews have four key parts- the screw/worm , the handle , a foil cutter , and a boot lever . Some also have a bottle opener built into the handle, but this often does not come standard.

    The screw is the piece that twists into the cork to remove it. The boot lever rests on the lip of the wine bottle to help provide leverage when removing . The lever is the part that you hold and provide the force to remove the cork. The foil cutter is often our least used element of a corkscrew as it is a very small serrated knife that is used to remove the foil from the bottle.

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    How To Open A Wine Bottle Without A Corkscrew: 10 Methods

    Paul Goodman

    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.

    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.

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    Smack It Against The Wall In A Shoe

    This method is a bit scary, we wont lie – but feel free to give it a go if youre that kind of daredevil. Youre going to need a sturdy shoe and a hard, flat wall.

  • Place the bottle in the shoe and make sure it is firmly secured.

  • Grip the shoe with one hand and the bottle in the other.

  • Making sure the bottle is at a 90 degree angle, hit it firmly against the wall. You might have to do this a few times.

  • Stop when the cork is most of the way out to avoid an accident. Gently remove the rest of the cork and enjoy!

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    Never Open Wine With A Wire Hanger

    HOW TO OPEN WINE WITHOUT A CORKSCREW (3 WAYS!)

    The mildest unanimous “no” was for the wire hanger corkscrew, where you fashion one out of a clothes hanger. This lands in the “worst” category not for safety reasons, but for its ineffectualness. The problem here is leverage”It’d be hard to get enough to open it cleanly,” says Brickel. Contributing to that is its lack of strength. As Ortiz points out, it’s not a strong enough material to hold its shape, nor sharp enough to cut into a cork, even though insertion may not be that hard.

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    How To Open A Waxed Wine Bottle

    If youâve got a wax-sealed wine bottle, you may be tempted to cut through the wax as if it were foil. You should follow that temptation. Because that is the correct thing to do.

    There may be a pull-tab on the wax, too. If so, great. Pull that and youâll be able to remove the wax easily. But if not, just cut the wax cleanly with your corkscrewâs knife around the bottleâs neck. Then youâll be able to lift off the top of the wax like foil. Then itâs business as usual.

    Apply Heat To Move The Cork Out

    This option is pretty far out, but it really does work. Using a blowtorch or lighter, apply heat to the neck of the wine bottle right below the cork. The heat should force the cork to move upward and eventually out of the bottle. However, make sure the bottle is not cold, or else it could explode from the rapid change in temperature. If your bottle is already refrigerated, let it rest in a lukewarm environment for a while before applying heat.

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    How To Open A Wine Bottle With A Key

    A key might be the most readily available item so lets use it to open a wine bottle. This trick is especially useful when youre away from home and you dont have any tools available as well.

    Heres how to use a key for this:

  • Press the key into the cork at an angle aim for a 45-degree angle. You may have to use a lot of force to do it successfully. How deep you manage to insert it will mean a big deal if this trick is to work.
  • Wrap the head of the key with an edge of a towel for more traction and easier handling.
  • Twist the cork with the key by pressing it up at the same time. This will take a lot of force too. Be careful not to pull the key out as you do this.
  • Its not the easiest method to uncork a bottle by far, but its one of the most available in any situation. The larger the key, the easier it is to handle.

    Use A Screw And Pliers

    Pin on Bar None

    Youll need a screw, a matching screwdriver, and pliers. The longer the screw, the better. Screw it into the cork, leaving only enough of it out for you to grab it with the pliers. Holding the pliers horizontally, pull out the screw. This method of opening a wine bottle without a corkscrew takes a bit of practice, so be ready to put in some effort. If the screw starts feeling loose, screw it in further before you use the pliers.

    Here’s a video of someone using a screw and pliers to get at some wine.

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    Apply Heat With A Blowtorch

    This method is pretty crazy, but it works . It requires the use of a blowtorch. Heat is applied to the bottleneck just below the cork, the air expands and pushes the cork out.

    This method is potentially dangerous, as a cold bottle can easily explode if it is subjected to a rapid temperature increase. The bottle therefore needs to be reasonably warm to start with.

    How To Get A Cork Out Of A Wine Bottle

    Have you used one of the methods that push the cork to the inside of the bottle? This method will help you get it out from the empty bottle using a simple plastic bag.

  • Roll up a plastic bag so you can insert it into the bottle, leaving the opening outside.
  • After inserting the bag, turn the bottle over so the cork falls down into the bag.
  • Blow into the bag through the opening so it wraps around the cork better.
  • Pull the bag together with the cork out.
  • This method may take a few tries but its fairly doable. Best of all, you will easily get the times needed for this trick.

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