How to Uncork Wine

Removing a cork from a bottle of wine takes practice

Uncorking wine can be quite simple or complicated. Nowadays there are dozens of different types of corkscrews on the market, some of which remove the cork from a bottle of wine with a flick of the wrist. The best corkscrew to use is one used by waiters, known as, aptly enough, a waiter’s corkscrew. It can be easily folded and put into a pocket and contains a knife to remove the foil from around the neck of a bottle as well as a lever (which can sometimes double as a bottle opener) and a worm (also known as the screw).

Things You'll Need

• Waiter's corkscrew

Instructions

1. Open the waiter’s corkscrew so the knife is free and locked into place.

2. Hold the neck of the wine bottle firmly with one hand.

3. 

   Run the knife around the rim of the foil around the top of the bottle, keeping your thumb on the rim for control.

4. Remove the foil you have cut off, revealing the cork underneath.

5. Fold the knife inward, hiding it in the corkscrew.

6. Pull both the worm and the lever out of the corkscrew. The worm should be at a 90-degree angle to the corkscrew.

7. 

   Place the pointed tip of the worm on the center of the cork.

8. Twist the corkscrew, driving the worm into the cork. Make sure that you continue down the center of the cork and do not begin to go sideways. Stop driving the worm down into the cork when the worm has nearly disappeared into the cork. Make sure to not drive the worm in so far that it comes out on the bottom side of the cork, as small pieces of the cork can end up in the wine.

9. 

   Position the lever onto the lip of the bottle.

10. 

    Pull upwards gently on the end of the corkscrew opposite the lever. This action is what draws the corks out of the bottle.

Tips & Warnings

• Corks actually do not work as well at preserving wine as a screw top. So, do not avoid wines with screw tops if you are worried they will not be as good.