By
eHow Food & Drink Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
Step1
Remove the top of the lead or foil capsule by cutting around the rim of the bottle with the sharp point of the corkscrew. The arms of the cork-screw will have to be raised for this step. You can also make a slit in the foil and remove the whole capsule before beginning.
Step2
Stand the bottle on a flat, hard surface at mid-chest level or lower. Lower the arms of the corkscrew. Holding the corkscrew as vertically and straight as possible, place the sharp end directly into the middle of the cork.
Step3
Securely grasp the top of the bottle and the lower end of the corkscrew with one hand.
Step4
With the other hand, begin turning the handle of the corkscrew clock-wise, applying an even, constant downward pressure into the cork. As the corkscrew goes into the cork, its arms will begin to rise.
Step5
Apply more pressure if the corkscrew will not penetrate the cork.
Step6
Keep turning the handle until the arms of the corkscrew are completely raised and the screw is well into the cork.
Step7
With one hand on each arm of the corkscrew, press the arms down. This will lift the cork out of the bottle.
Step8
Wrap your hand around the base of the corkscrew and lift straight up.
Step9
Remove the foil, if necessary.
Step10
Twist the cork off the corkscrew.
Step11
Wipe the rim of the bottle with a clean, damp towel before serving, to remove any stray pieces of cork and, more important, any lead left by the foil.
Comments
Anonymous said
on 6/11/2007 The only tool you need is a bigger scissors (not a nail cutter), which one face is narrower then the bottle's caliber. You just need to stick one face of the scissors in the cork and to screw it off!
Anonymous said
on 8/8/2006 I bought a bottle of wine, got home only to realize I didn't have a corkscrew. Being a huge fan of MacGyver I used a little good 'Ole American ingenuity and screwed a long wood screw into the cork and pulled out the cork. Easy as pie.
Anonymous said
on 6/11/2007 My roommate and I had a bottle of white Zinfandel, but alas, no corkscrew. 2:43 in the AM is no time to be shopping for a single corkscrew, so I had to improvise. I took a wire coat hangar and wrapped it around a screw driver to form the shape of a cork screw. The hangar we used was one of the more sturdier types. I then proceeded to screw the hangar down into the cork. The going was somewhat difficult, as the wire wanted to straighten itself, but I got it about halfway down the cork, bent the rest that was outside the cork into a handle shape, and pulled slowly and firmly, and *POP* out the cork came on the first try.
Anonymous said
on 6/11/2007 Hammer three or four nails so that they enter at the top corner and touch the bottom opposite side of the cork. Nail deeply into the cork so you can use them as handles to twist the cork free, and slowly pull it out while twisting. Pinching the four nails together while you turn compresses the cork's core and increases the nails' grip on it. Cork fragmentation is minimal if executed properly.
Anonymous said
on 6/11/2007 If by some chance, you do not have a corkscrew, then find a hammer and screwdriver. Clean the screwdriver with isopropyl alcohol, because it might be filthy. Place as many paper towels as needed on the top of the bottle. Penetrate the paper towel(s) and place the slotted (or Phillips) screwdriver on top of the cork and as close to the rim as possible (but not too close that you could break the glass.) I recommend placing a towel or shirt on top of the screwdriver handle to silence the pounding, then hammer the top of the screwdriver handle. Do not hammer too lightly or too hard. Eventually, the cork will go straight down into the bottle causing some wine to spill out because of the pressure, but that's what the paper towel(s) are for. Try serving into a glass, so the cork will stop obstructing the narrow opening of the bottle. The cork should not contaminate the wine with any noticeable residue.