How to Turn Wine Bottle Stoppers

Champagn bottle stoppers are removed by hand.

Bottle stoppers can be removed easily with the right technique and bar tools. Wine is an integral part of culture, religion and society. Grapes for wine are grown, fermented and bottled nearly everywhere in the world. Bottling wine and methods for preserving it have evolved over time, as have bottle stoppers which include natural or synthetic corks to modern screw tops.

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• Corkscrew

Instructions

Cork Bottle Stoppers

1. Run a small, sharp blade around the circumference of the wine bottle neck to slice through the thick foil guarding the cork. Peel off the foil to expose the cork head.

2. 

   Sink the corkscrew most but not all the way into the cork for the best leverage.

   Place the tip of the corkscrew in the center of the cork head, then turn the corkscrew clockwise while applying gentle pressure in a downward direction. Continue to screw into the cork until you have sunk the corkscrew to the second topmost twist.

3. 

   Bartender-style corkscrews do not require turning to remove cork stoppers.

   Turn the corkscrew gently, counterclockwise, while pulling up on the corkscrew and holding the bottle still with your other hand. This method works best for T-shaped corkscrews with no built-in lever. If you are using a wing-style corkscrew, simply push down on the extended arms without turning. If you are using a bartender-style corkscrew, open the fulcrum, place the curved indentation against the rim of the bottle neck and, holding the fucrum flush against the bottle, raise the opposite handle to free the cork.

Champagne Bottle Stoppers

1. Peel the thin foil from the outside of the champagne cork stopper.

2. Pointing the bottle away from your face (as well as any bystanders or windows), twist the wire tab extending from the base of the cork cage. Once the tab is fully untwisted, loosen the cage and remove it from the top of the cork.

3. 

   Champagne bottle stoppers are under pressure from the wine's carbonation, so keep the bottle pointed away from your face in case it explodes.

   Grip the cork in the palm of your hand as if you were holding a candlestick, keeping the head of the cork exposed.

4. Hold the bottle steady in one hand and the cork in the other and gently turn your hands in opposite directions. The carbonation in champagne creates pressure in the bottle, so remove the cork gradually to prevent a loud pop and a spewing fountain of wasted wine.

Screwtop Bottle Stoppers

1. Remove the foil from the neck and head of the wine bottle.

2. Grip the screw top in one hand while holding the wine bottle steady in the other.

3. Turn the cap counterclockwise to remove the screw top.

Tips & Warnings

• Decorative wine bottle stoppers and vacuum-pump seals can be removed by simply turning while lifting up on the stopper.

References

• PriceWaterhouseCooper/ECOBILAN: Evaluation of the environmental impacts of Cork Stoppers versus Aluminium and Plastic Closures
• State University of New York, Potsdam: History of Alcohol and Drinking Around the World
• Wines of Chile: Wine Regions of Chile
• BBC News: Urging Vintners to Put a Cork In It