The diameter of the cork is on average 24 mm, and the neck of the bottle is 18 mm. Opening wine is not easy, and without a corkscrew, it seems impossible at all. But is it?
We continue to share bartending and, of course, folk wisdom. Today we tell you how to open wine without a corkscrew, which is perhaps one of the most common problems related to alcoholic beverages. Often a corkscrew is either lost or simply forgotten to buy. You should not panic, because there are a lot of options to open wine without this device!
Effective ways to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew
Method number 1. Push the plug in with your finger. This method is more suitable for the strong in spirit and finger, because you need to have remarkable strength. It also depends on the manufacturer of the wine and the materials used in the manufacture of the cork. You can simply push the cork with your bare finger or put a small coin on it, thereby increasing the pressure area. You can also pre-pierce the cork with a sharp object, a knife, for example, which will weaken it.
Method number 2. Push the wine cork with improvised items. The principle is the same as in the previous method, only instead of a finger, which is quite reasonable, you should use more durable cylindrical objects: a marker, lipstick, knife sharpener (there are round ones) or a female stiletto heel.
Method number 3. Break out the plug. Using this method, you need to be extremely careful, because often everything ends with a broken bottle, blood and scars for life. The easiest way is to simply take the bottle vertically and gradually tap it on the bottom with your palm – according to the law of physics, the cork should fly out without problems. If this does not happen, wrap the bottom of the bottle in a towel and tap it against the wall (control the force of the blow). You can also attach a towel folded several times to the wall or a book (preferably a copy that does not carry great cultural value).
I saw how the cork was knocked out with a plastic bottle of water. Just fill it up and hit the bottom with the middle part. Sometimes a couple of blows are enough, but be sure to control that the cork does not fly out completely – the wine will spill. To heighten the effect, you can use your boot: place the bottom of the bottle in your boot and hit it against the wall (video is attached at the end of the article).
Method number 4. Open a bottle of wine with a screw. Used this method many times. Screw a screw of medium diameter into the cork (you can use a screwdriver or any other object suitable for this) and open the wine with pliers, a nail puller or two pencils, grabbing the screw on both sides and pulling it towards you. This method is not suitable for wines, the cork for which was made of wood and was pretty worn out – it will simply crumble and the screw will fly out.
You can open wine without a corkscrew with a self-tapping screw and pliers
Method number 5. Uncork a bottle of wine with a knife. Press the knife into the cork and pull it out with a twisting motion. It is better to use a knife with a serrated blade. You can also pick up the cork with a knife by pressing the point closer to the edge of the neck and using your finger as a support.
Use a knife instead of a corkscrew
Method number 6. Remove the cork with nails and a hammer. Drive in a few nails in a row, and then pull them out with the “claws” on the hammer along with the cork.
Method number 7. Pry up the cork with two paper clips. I doubt its authenticity, but still. You can thread two straightened paper clips with hooks at the ends between the cork and the neck of the bottle, then twist them together and pull out the cork with a pencil, pen or spoon.
Method number 8. Pull out the cork with a string. Here you have to pick it up a little, so dust can get into the wine (however, many of the above methods will lead to this). Make a hole in the middle of the cork with an awl, for example, and then push a strong, preferably leather, cord with a knot at the end into it. After that, just pull the cord along with the cork, and you will be happy.
Method number 9. Open a bottle of hot water. Put a pot of water on the stove and put a bottle of wine in it. Under the influence of heat, the cork will slowly fly out. There is only one negative point here – the wine will be warm, mulled wine is practically, so if trouble with a corkscrew overtook you in the summer, then it is better to use the other methods described above.
Method number 10. Cut off the neck. Hussar. Of course, if you are not Bruce Lee and not a master of the blade, this is not recommended. And in general, forget about this method – I wrote it for the sake of a tidy number. You will either hurt your hand, or break the whole bottle, or beat off the neck so that half of the glass remains in the bottle – not very good, agree?
I hope now you will not be worried about how to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew. All of the above methods have been tested, if not by me, then at least by the best experts in this field – the people and students in particular. In fact, it’s better to get confused once and buy at least some kind of corkscrew, at least a Swiss knife with this device. Believe me, the headache will be less. Although, maybe it’s more interesting. Maybe I missed something? Share, comment, critique.