Let me paint the scene, it’s your anniversary, you’ve gone to the shop and you’ve selected the best ingredients for a fancy meal, and you’ve gone all out on a super expensive bottle of wine.
Everything’s going great. Until you can’t find the corkscrew.
So the expensive bottle of wine sits on the table as you both stare at it, unable to get it open just wishing you could take a sip.
Nobody want’s this to happen, if nothing else it’s just really annoying.
So what do you do if you’ve purchased a bottle of wine that has a cork but you have no corkscrew?
Well, you’ll find plenty of answers throughout this article.
But just before we begin, it’s important to note that you’ll need to take extra care if you do try these methods as there is always a chance that the cork might break, or you may chip or break the bottle.
If you have an extremely expensive bottle of wine, I’d suggest you err on the side of caution and wait till you have a corkscrew to hand.
But for your more standard wines, it’s worth the go as long as you’re careful.
5 Ways To Open Your Bottle Of Wine Without A Corkscrew
Screw, Screwdriver, And A Hammer
This method is one of the safest options there is, but it’s also one of the hardest.
You’ll need to whip out your muscles for this one and be warned you may not think it will tire you easily, but you’ll be surprised.
Take a screw, the longer the better, and using your screwdriver screw it down into the cork until there’s only an inch left showing.
Once you’ve done this, use the back of the hammer, place it underneath the screw and pull the cork out.
Now you will come across some resistance, so you’ll have to pull hard. You’ll need that glass of wine when you’re done.
Use A Wooden Spoon
This is another fairly safe option and yes it does have some disadvantages.
In this instance you will use the handle of a wooden spoon, or any object that’s similar, to push down on the wooden cork until it drops down into the bottle of wine.
It’s also a fairly easy way to open your bottle of wine.
The drawback though, is that you are left with a cork floating in your bottle of wine and there’s no way to retrieve it.
And that’s the best-case scenario. If while you’re pushing the cork it splinters then you’re going to end up with lots of little bits of cork swimming in your drink.
If this happens I’d recommend pouring the wine into a strainer to separate all the little bits before you start serving it to guests.
Hook It With A Hanger
Is your bottle of wine worth sacrificing a wire clothes hanger for? If so then you can try this method.
You’ll need to bend back the end of the wire hanger around 30 degrees. You’re trying to get it to look a little bit like a fish hook.
Once you’ve done this you’ll need to slide the wire down into the sealed wine bottle beside the cork.
Then turn the wire hook 90 degrees so that it hooks beneath the cork. The pull up the wire and the cork will hopefully release.
If the hanger seems stuck and you’ve got a pair of pliers hanging around you can use these to tug at it.
Make sure you always wear a pair of gloves or use a towel for protection.
Pump It Out
This option is super easy if you’ve got the bits available. For this method, you’ll need to grab a bike pump, but it needs to be the kind with a needle.
Grab the needle and pierce it into the cork, you want it to go all the way through so that it reaches the air between the wine and the cork. Then just pump.
The air pressure from pumping should slowly start to push that cork up until it’s out and you’ve got a bottle of wine you can drink.
Twist It Out With Keys
Keys are something that surely everyone should have available to them in their home so this is the perfect method for when you’re really stuck.
Basically, you’re going to stab your key into the cork at a 45-degree angle.
Then you’ll start to move the top of your keys in a circle, slowly revolving the cork. After a few rotations, the cork should pop out.
But you do want to really make sure that the key is firmly in the cork, otherwise, the cork may crumble and you’ll have little pieces of cork in your wine.
If this happens you’ll need to strain the wine before you serve it.
Final Thoughts
Everybody loves a good glass of wine and the last thing that you want is to find yourself with a bottle that you can’t open because you’ve lost your corkscrew.
Luckily, if you try any of the methods above you should be able to crack open your wine of choice in no time at all.
Of course, these should all just be temporary measures, as a corkscrew is the easiest and safest way to open your bottle of wine.
A few of the methods above do risk you having crumbly pieces of cork floating around in your bottle which is less than ideal, especially if you don’t have a strainer to separate it.
And of course, there’s always the chance that you could shatter the bottle (and your heart) with one small slip of the hand.
So if you are going to try any of these methods, always make sure you are taking extra care and always have a firm grip on the bottle.
The only thing worse than wine you can’t open is a broken bottle.
My parents own a vineyard in Napa Valley and were constantly making new wines for the locals to try. Their brand was one of the most popular across the US at one point. My sister and I loved running up and down the vines, picking the grapes for our parents, and even helping with the ideas.
Since moving out of the family home, my love for wine has not waivered - in fact, I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. I’m always the one to bring the wine to our girly gatherings, family meals, and picnics - let me know what we’re doing, and I’ll supply the goods.
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