It’s a familiar tale - maybe you’re hosting a housewarming party and your kitchen gear is not yet unpacked, or perhaps you’re at an outdoor soiree and the hostess forgot that one tiny but important detail.
Suddenly, you get that sinking feeling. You realize that you have the wine.... but no corkscrew. GASP! You cannot possibly pop the cork without a corkscrew!
Before you let this hiccup spoil your evening, before you smash that bottle or throw in the towel, read on to learn how to open a corked wine bottle.
If you don’t have a corkscrew to open your wine, but you do happen to have a hammer and a screw, you’re closer than you think. Read on to learn 4 ways to open wine without a corkscrew.
Option 1: A New Kind of Wine Key
This method is one of our personal favorites because the only “tool” required is a simple key. If there is no pesky wine key to be found, surely someone in your group remembered their house keys. Here’s hoping!
Simply select one of your house keys and push it into the cork at a 45-degree angle. Keep pushing the key in until most of it is inserted into the cork. Then, twist the cork around a few times, pulling up as you do, to gradually coax the cork out of the bottle. Be gentle so as not to end up with half the cork marooned in the top of the bottle.
Image via Vivino
Option 2: It’s a Shoe-In
To crack into that bottle, all you really need is a shoe and a bit of boldness. Take off your shoe and put the wine bottle inside it. Arrange the bottom of the bottle to where your heel is supposed to be. Now for the fun part.
Bang your shoe-attached wine bottle into something firm, like a wall. The cork will eventually pop out. Be careful, it happens faster than you might think and you don’t want to spill your efforts or worse, break the bottle. This will also work if you wrap a towel around the base of the bottle and bang it against a wall.
Here’s a video of this method in action, via Munchies:
Option 3: Get Hammered
If you don’t have a corkscrew to open your wine, but you do happen to have a hammer and a screw, you’re closer than you think to that first sip. Gently push a screw about three quarters of the way into the cork, and use the nail-remover lever of a clawed hammer to wiggle the screw - and the cork - out of the bottle.
It’s definitely a trick that requires a bit of finesse. Corks might be cracked and bottles may tip over in the process, but with a little luck you’ll make short work of that cork.
Image via Tabsprint
Option 4: Pump it Up
If you’re a wine-loving bike enthusiast, this is the best method for you. Use the bike pump needle to poke a hole in the cork and wiggle it until it’s tightly secured in the cork. Start pumping (slowly!) and the pressure of the pump will push out your cork in no time. You can probably also put the needle in between the cork and the side of the bottle with the same results.
Image via Vivino
Who needs a corkscrew to open a wine bottle? Grab a glass and enjoy the fruits of your labor. And don’t forget to check out our custom designed wine labels - your host will be even more eager to break into a bottle of wine you designed to commemorate an engagement, new house, or the holidays. Cheers!
