Why know how to open a bottle of wine? Because it is a beautiful beverage. Perhaps it’s the most complex and sophisticated, but it’s still easy to enjoy. Wine makes every occasion better — it turns get-togethers into celebrations and meals into dinner parties!
And although knowing everything about wine is challenging, you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy it. One of the best things you can do to improve your wine experience is to learn a bit more about wine service. After all, wine is one of the few beverages that still comes with a cork. So how to deal with a bottle of wine? Here’s how to open a bottle of wine and the tools needed.
What Are Corks All About?
Most wine bottles come with a cork stopper — it’s tradition. Of course, now many bottles come with a screwtop you can twist off, but corks are more complicated to remove.
To remove corks, you need a corkscrew. Interestingly, corkscrews, as we know them, were invented centuries after corks became the top stopper for glass bottles. Metallic worms or screws used for drawing corks out of bottles came to be in the late 1600s, and corks were already used at least a thousand years ago.
Cork is a unique material. It’s waterproof, flexible, and very resistant. It allows just a little air to find its way into the bottle, allowing the wine to age gracefully. Now, how to remove corks?
The Right Tool for the Job
You only need a steel worm to open a bottle of wine, but corkscrews have become increasingly sophisticated. As a result, these are the most popular types of corkscrews out there.
Waiter’s corkscrew. The most efficient tool to remove a cork and a sommelier’s choice is to open a bottle of wine. So much so that servers use them worldwide. This pocket tool has a blade to cut the bottle’s capsule, a metallic worm, and a one- or two-step lever. Portable and efficient, this is perhaps the best tool to open a bottle of wine.
Pocket screws. These rustic gadgets have a screw or worm attached to a plastic or wooden handle. These require brute strength to pull the cork since you don’t have a lever to help you pull it up. Despite their name, you can’t keep these in your pocket, as they’ll tear a hole in your pants!
Wing screws. These are best for having around the kitchen as they’re not easy to carry around. These corkscrews, charmingly resembling a small person, allow you to insert the screw firmly while it sits in the mouth of the bottle. Once in, you need only to lift the screw’s “arms,” and you’re all set.
Lever screws. Also known as a rabbit screw, this heavy gadget looks like a bunny and uses a powerful lever to pull corks in a swift, upward motion. One of the easiest ways to open a bottle of wine.
Two-prong cork pullers. This unique and compact tool uses two prongs to remove the cork without piercing it. Insert the prongs around the cork and twist slowly while pulling upwards. This cork puller is handy for delicate, crumbly corks.
Electric corkscrews. There are many types of electric corkscrews, and they all do the job by pressing a button. Although often quite bulky, these are perfect for anyone with mobility issues that can’t apply force with their hands and arms.
What’s Your Favorite Corkscrew?
The best part about tools to open a bottle of wine, whether corkscrews or something else, is that you don’t have to choose. Collecting wine tools and gadgets is not uncommon — it’s part of building your wine collection!
You indeed have an exceptional corkscrew at home — one that never disappoints. Share your favorite types of corkscrews with us, and let us know if we missed a kind of corkscrew! Now you know how to properly open a bottle of wine, call some friends over, and let’s pop open some bottles!
Quite detailed article and enjoyed reading it. Thanks for posting