Food Opening wine bottles....help!

Zophie

Zophie

Member
Feb 14, 2007
8,870
8
#1
Am I the only one that seriously has trouble opening a bottle of wine? I just spent what felt like forever (but was maybe 5 or 10 minutes) fighting to get a cork out of a wine bottle, which involved me sitting on the floor with the bottle between my legs among other equally ridiculous positions. I finally got it out somehow. I've been known to break the cork in half and everything in between. When I go out to eat and they open a bottle of wine it always looks so easy.

Anyone have any ideas on how to make this easier or should I just start drinking that wine in a box? :yucky:
 
#2
Zophie said:
Am I the only one that seriously has trouble opening a bottle of wine? I just spent what felt like forever (but was maybe 5 or 10 minutes) fighting to get a cork out of a wine bottle, which involved me sitting on the floor with the bottle between my legs among other equally ridiculous positions. I finally got it out somehow. I've been known to break the cork in half and everything in between. When I go out to eat and they open a bottle of wine it always looks so easy.

Anyone have any ideas on how to make this easier or should I just start drinking that wine in a box? :yucky:
Click to expand...
YIKES! Skip that nasty wine box and have a looksey at Crate and Barrel to invest in a good wine/opener- it's worth it.
 
#3
My first two times trying to open a wine bottle was a disaster. The trick is just having someone show you how to use a wine key properly. Now I can open wine bottles in 10 seconds or so. :yes: You're probably using the wine key (cork screw) wrong.

They have really easy wine openers now that don't require as much work as a cork screw.
 
#4
Get one of these:

1130010892_350x350_header.jpg

They're cheap and you can find them anywhere. I like them better than the expensive lever kind :shrugs:
 
#7
the key to remember is not to stick the tip directly in the middle of the cork, just slightly off. you'll shred less corks that way, also try using a double hinged wine key. gives you more leverage.
 
#9
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That kind of corkscrew is extremely easy to use. You just

1) pull the top (long) lever all the way forward, which pulls up the corkscrew.
2) pull the two levers behind apart
3) put the unopened bottle underneath the corkscrew and pull together the two levers to "grip" the bottle.
4) pull the top (long) lever all the way back to insert the corkscrew, then pull it back up and the cork pops out.

We have had one of these Screwpulls for years. The only thing you have to do now and then is give the gear a little grease (WD40) to keep it opening smoothly.
 
#10
All the above tips are good. But, I suspect you're screwing in the corkscrew crooked. This will result in tearing up the cork. When you twist the corkscrew, twist the bottle in the opposite direction. This seems to help keep it straight. This is a trip from an ex who happened to once work as a waiter.
 
#11
All these tips are great! Another thing I figured out as a waitress - if you're trying to unscrew a white wine cork, it's infinitely easier if the bottle hasn't been chilling for weeks on end - too long in the fridge dries out the cork and makes it brittle. Only chill the bottle adequately prior to serving it, the cork will come out much more easily.
 
#12
Invest in a pocket size Screwpull. They are awesome. I bought my last one on Amazon.com. All you do is keep twisting the thing into the cork clockwise and it competely removes the cork from the bottle in one piece. It's an absolute godsend and is only about $30.
 
#13
I stink at it too. I have one of the openers pictured first and I think I just put it in crooked every time. I just can't do it very well. Part of the reason why I haven't had a bottle of wine in the house for a year!
 
#14
My opener doesn't look like either of those, so I guess that could be a large part of the problem. Looks like I need to buy a new opener. Gotta figure something out because I love wine and I'm not willing to buy the crap in the box.
 
#15
claireZk said:
Get one of these:

1130010892_350x350_header.jpg

They're cheap and you can find them anywhere. I like them better than the expensive lever kind :shrugs:
Click to expand...

I have one of these too and they are great. :tup: I like the wings on the sides b/c you keep even pressure when pulling the cork out. And if you can't get it out on the first try, just insert the screw a little more into the cork...the wings will go up again and then you have more leverage to push them down again and ease out the cork.

Cheers!!:okay:
 
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