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These methods are often referred to as “student” methods. There is in this definition something carefree, reckless, daring and unassuming. But even people who are far from student age may find themselves in a situation where the wine is on the table, but there was no corkscrew to uncork the bottle at hand. It may be too late to run to the store and look for an opener. We offer you to look around – we assure you that there are dozens of “levers” around that will solve your problem.
Healthy Food Near Me asked sommelier Maxim Olshansky to share 15 simple ways to open wine without a corkscrew at home. We have also compiled videos that will help visualize the material.
1. Knife
The blade should be of medium size, both in length and in width. Insert the tip into the cork. Carefully, so that the tree does not crumble, continue to sink the blade. The knife should enter so as to become like a corkscrew.
Now the second part is to get the knife with the cork. To prevent the blade from breaking, we take a towel or a thick napkin. We wrap the handle and the part of the blade that did not enter the cork. Hold the neck of the bottle tightly with your hand and turn the knife like a key in a keyhole. The cork will start to come out.
2. Door key
It is most convenient if it is a modern perforated key, they are also called “high secrecy” or “multilock”. Be careful not to chip the wine cork. Insert the key into the wood, swinging slightly from side to side. Next, turn it clockwise, tightly squeezing the neck with your other hand.
3. Finger
This method of opening wine without a corkscrew either works surprisingly well or doesn’t work at all. It is also one of the most seditious ways to achieve your goal from the point of view of a sommelier. Because the bottle has to be pretty shaken.
Imagine that the bottle is a metronome needle. Eight to ten times tilt it back and forth with sharp movements. After that, put the bottle on the table. Grasp the neck with one hand. With the index finger or thumb of the second hand, press on the cork so that it falls inward. Just be careful not to get stuck. And then you have to “google” how to get your finger out of a bottle of wine.
4. With self-tapping screw
One of the most popular student hacks for opening wine without a corkscrew. You will need a medium length self tapping screw. First, with your fingers, and then with a screwdriver, screw the rod into the cork. When the self-tapping screw is 70% inside, take pliers or pliers. If you are a strong man, then just pull up.
But there is a way to make it easier for yourself by using the rule of leverage. You need to take hold of the neck so that the pliers, which the self-tapping screw grabbed horizontally, rest against your thumb with effort. And then gradually remove the cork, pressing the pliers on your hand.
5. Manicure scissors
Insert one tip of the scissors into the middle of the cork, and the second from the edge. To make it look like a circle. The scissors should go in a little more than half of their length. Otherwise, they will break, or the cork will crumble.
Screw the cork inward with screw movements. And when it fails, pull the scissors up to release them.
6. Spoon or fork
Place the handle of the spoon at an angle of 90 degrees and press on the cork. Hold the bottle so it doesn’t tip over. When you open the wine, you can leave the spoon inside – it will repel the flopping cork.
7. Boot
Be warned, this is one of the most dangerous ways to open a bottle without a corkscrew. It is dangerous, first of all, for wine and your mood – the vessel can break. The method is called “French shoe”. You need men’s shoes or sneakers.
The bottle must be placed vertically in the boot. Then tilt this structure to a horizontal position. With one hand, you hold on to the toe of the boot, and with the other, on the neck of the bottle. Start banging the heel of your boot against the wall. The cork will start to pop out. Ideally, you should seize the moment when the cork has come out almost to the end, but has not yet taken off. Then you can finally uncork the bottle with your hand. Otherwise, the cork flies out and part of the contents spills out. Therefore, it is better to do it outside.
8. Another bottle
You will need a plastic bottle with a volume of one and a half liters. It is easiest to take with clean water, as the soda can shake up and shoot itself. The bottle will play the role of a hammer. Therefore, it is better if it is made of hard plastic. A relevant remark, given that now manufacturers protect nature, save resources and often the packaging is very thin.
Hold the bottle of wine horizontally. On the bottom, start hitting with a plastic bottle. You can share duties with a partner: one holds the wine, the second knocks on the bottle.
9. Heeled women’s shoes
The diameter of the hairpin should not be larger than the neck of the bottle, but not too thin. The method requires some physical effort. The life hack is not to press with your hand, but to connect the mass of the body. You should, as it were, lean on the shoe so that the effort does not come from the hand and biceps, but from the entire shoulder girdle.
10. Boiling
Take half a pot of water and place it over medium heat. As it boils, the cork will be pushed outward until it pops. True, in this way you also heat the drink. Therefore, sommeliers do not approve of him.
11. Ignition
This is more of a magic trick than a practical way to open a bottle of wine. Better do it over the sink or in the bathroom to minimize the risk of fire and be very careful.
You will need a tourniquet (string) and gasoline for lighters. Soak it in gasoline, and then wrap it around the neck of the bottle. Ignite and wait until the flame flares up well. Then put it under a cold water tap to put out the fire. And at the same time provoke a temperature difference. The neck itself will fall off at this point. If this does not happen, then put a towel on top and break it off with your hand.
12. Towel
This is an interpretation of the “French shoe”. You will need a hand towel of medium size and density. Wrap the bottom of the bottle, tilt it horizontally and start banging on the wall. It turns out a kind of gasket, a “silencer”, which dampens the force of impact. And the cork is slowly but surely squeezed out.
13. Felt pen or marker
The writing utensil has to be hammered in, thereby pressing the cork into the bottle. Grasp the neck and the marker with one hand while standing, and use the other as a hammer and hit the other side of the marker. You can wrap your hand in a towel to make it less painful.
14. Nails and a hammer
Not a very reliable way to open wine without a corkscrew at home. But in the absence of more, we are content with little. It is unreliable because you can open the cork, but still not achieve your goal. Here a lot depends on the “tenacity” of the nail and the structure of the cork material.
The method is simple: several nails are hammered into the cork nearby. Next, turn the hammer over and use the nail puller. There is a small chance that you will pull the cork out after the nail. Although much more likely, just pull out the nails.
15. With a syringe
Another way to open a bottle of wine at home for those who are unpretentious about the quality of the drink. Unpack the medical syringe, put on the needle. Poke the cork through.
Next, unhook the syringe and fill it with water. We attach to the needle and squeeze the water inside. This must be done until the pressure and volume of liquid in the bottle pushes the cork out. After that, drain the water from the top layer into a glass. And wine can be poured into glasses.
Sommelier advice
Describes sommelier Maxim Olshansky:
— As a professional, I oppose the use of anything to open wine other than a classic corkscrew, a sommelier’s knife, or a “gypsy” corkscrew (a device that is screwed into the cork and allows you to remove it). A noble drink requires careful attitude to oneself. Most of the described methods break the structure of the wine. Shaking, heating, excessive contact of the contents with the cork in case it falls inside – all this is bad. In addition, the bottle can simply burst. Therefore, all ways to open wine without a corkscrew are considered “marginal” in the community.
My advice: already at the stage of purchase, choose wine with a screw-on metal or glass cork. Many people have a Swiss knife lying around at home, which is often forgotten. It has a corkscrew.
If you still don’t have a corkscrew at hand, then use at least those methods that minimize damage to the drink. This is a knife, key or self-tapping screw. You can go to your neighbors house and borrow a corkscrew.