# Do you own a cork screw? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560 "2009-03-15T22:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/41 "2009-03-16T12:07:56Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > a pair of channel-locks Which I use more in the kitchen than for anything else. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/42 "2009-03-16T12:08:14Z")
We have a doohickey with the name of what appears to be a Danish liquor store printed on it. It contains a corkscrew, two different kinds of bottle openers, and a small knife for cutting off neckbands. Whatever your drink-opening needs, this handy pocket took has you covered! ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/43 "2009-03-16T12:09:25Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > One summer I was in Greece, and we found ourselves on the beach with plenty of wine but no corkscrew. We opened it using only a palm tree. šŸ˜ƒ > > Basic technique: unwrap the plastic/foil cork covering. Hold the bottle perpendicular to your striking surface. Hit the bottle against the surface firmly and (important!) squarely on the base of the bottle, again and again and again. The pressure will force the cork out until you can remove it by hand. Any vertical surface can be used. If your striking surface is particularly unyielding (such as a marble wall) cushion it with a towel. > > It takes a while, and you can smash a bottle if youā€™re not careful. But it beats the alternative, namely, no wine on the beach. Using a shoe with a sufficiently firm sole works, too. But I do have a corkscrew, I donā€™t always wear shoes in the house. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/44 "2009-03-16T15:01:54Z")
Several! One in the glove compartment (simple portable one, bought after a weekend getaway trip where we bought a bottle of wine to bring back to the hotel room and had no corkscrew). At home, we have probably 3 ā€œwaiterā€™s friendā€ style, one of those with the arms, and a Rabbit version. Plus one where you plunge a long needle into the cork and then push a button to fire CO2 into the bottle and push the cork out. Oh, and one on a Swiss Army Knife. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/45 "2009-03-16T15:40:48Z")
Iā€™m the first! No, I donā€™t own a corkscrew. I donā€™t drink and Iā€™ve never seen a reason to buy one. The one time I had friends over and they brought wine, my first thought was to use my power drill and then pull up. It didnā€™t work so well. Then I went to my neighbors and borrowed theirs. StG ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/46 "2009-03-16T15:43:55Z")
I **may not** have a corkscrew. :eek::smack: Because I donā€™t drink wine and champagne comes with an easy to open cork. šŸ†’ However I **may** have a corkscrew. šŸ˜• Because my Mum (bless her) used to occasionally put odd things into my cupboards ā€˜just in caseā€™. The other day I found a Wok, even though I only know how to cook omelettes. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/47 "2009-03-16T15:52:05Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > One summer I was in Greece, and we found ourselves on the beach with plenty of wine but no corkscrew. We opened it using only a palm tree. šŸ˜ƒ > > Basic technique: unwrap the plastic/foil cork covering. Hold the bottle perpendicular to your striking surface. Hit the bottle against the surface firmly and (important!) squarely on the base of the bottle, again and again and again. The pressure will force the cork out until you can remove it by hand. Any vertical surface can be used. If your striking surface is particularly unyielding (such as a marble wall) cushion it with a towel. > > It takes a while, and you can smash a bottle if youā€™re not careful. But it beats the alternative, namely, no wine on the beach. Here is a video of the technique. [You Tube Link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq7DBjCzSuE) ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/48 "2009-03-16T16:02:25Z")
I have one. But I do remember when I was a few years out of college I had to go to the neighbor and borrow hers for a party, so I was sans corkscrew for a while. > [@](#): > > Because my Mum (bless her) used to occasionally put odd things into my cupboards ā€˜just in caseā€™. > The other day I found a Wok, even though I only know how to cook omelettes. mine does that too. As a result I own a sewing machine, a blender, and a power drill. I have used the sewing machine. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/49 "2009-03-16T16:06:00Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Iā€™ve got three. Like Batman, Iā€™m prepared. Perfect within two responses. I own two. I also own three metal flasks, two regular sized shakers, a mini-shaker for portable drinking, stirrers, a globe bar, and I always, ALWAYS, keep bitters on hand. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/50 "2009-03-16T16:17:34Z")
Of course I have a corkscrew! What kind of a Tanglevetzian do you take me for? ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/51 "2009-03-16T16:55:11Z")
I have at least three times saved late-night train rides home from sessions with the corkscrew/bottle opener I keep in my fiddle case. You would think that my layabout musician friends would have learned to carry their own by now, but, no. Slackers. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Beginning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@New\_Beginning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Beginning)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/52 "2009-03-16T21:17:40Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > The question came about because I was talking to an old friend and he reminded me of the time I had just moved to a new apartment - his wife had stopped to visit and they had brought some wine. But since I hadnā€™t unpacked I couldnā€™t find my cork screw. Funnily enough Iā€™ve been in a bizarre inverse of that situation. I was helping my friend move into her new apt in a big apartment building. As we were walking up the stairs for the 100th time (4th story, tons of heavy boxes and no A/Cā€¦ fun times) we were stopped by a frazzled guy in his 20ā€™s who wanted to know if we had a corkscrew. Of course we didnā€™t since we hadnā€™t unpacked anythingā€¦ For a bit of the rest of the move I saw him knocking on doors asking neighbors for help. I got a peak into his own apartment as well where I saw (presumably) his (equally frazzled) date peaking out and watching him try to find it. If I really didnā€™t have a corkscrew though, Iā€™d just screw a normal screw into the cork and pull it out with some pliers. As it is I own 3. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/53 "2009-03-16T21:20:02Z")
I have a Leatherman with one, but the one in the house is this cheapo kind: [http://www.accentamenities.com/images/thumbnail/white-cork-screw1.gif](http://www.accentamenities.com/images/thumbnail/white-cork-screw1.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/54 "2009-03-16T22:26:03Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Iā€™ve got around, er, 40. Do I have a problem? Okay, Iā€™ll bite. Do you collect them? Got any particularly interesting ones? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/55 "2009-03-16T22:32:25Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Does the average person\* encounter corked bottles that donā€™t contain wine? My daughter doesnā€™t drink alcohol (she doesnā€™t like the way it tastes) and if she didnā€™t cook with wine, she wouldnā€™t have or use a corkscrew. There are a few types of beer that might come corked, but other than that I canā€™t think of anything. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Not\_Appearing\_on\_This\_Site](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@Sir\_Not\_Appearing\_on\_This\_Site](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Not_Appearing_on_This_Site)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/56 "2009-03-16T22:49:04Z")
I donā€™t drink, and I donā€™t own a cork screw, that I know ofā€¦ I have a few swiss army knives, and I know none of them have cork screw. I also have a leatherman type tool, it might have one, but I have seen that for years, and have no idea where it is. I should probably pick one up for the rare occasion that someone comes over and brings a bottle of wine. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/57 "2009-03-16T23:14:25Z")
I donā€™t drink, thus I donā€™t own a corkscrew as a stand-alone device. I own several Swiss Army Knives(at least three) which all have corkscrews. My wife drinks occasionally, but typically wine coolers or beverage wines(which have screw on caps). She called me from a party with her cousins a few weeks ago(most of which drink, but who drink beer or wine coolers typically) because they didnā€™t have a corkscrew and one of the guests had brought wine which was corked. They ended up using the screw and pliers solution, but it highlighted how ubiquitous corkscrews are that everyone just assumes there will be one pretty much everywhere. Indeed, even in my house, where very little alcohol is consumed, we could open a corked bottle of wine. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![bat312](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@bat312](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bat312)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/58 "2009-03-16T23:43:37Z")
Just countedā€¦I have 10. I generally drink beer, but I guest I am ready if you want to bring me some wine. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/59 "2009-03-17T12:45:33Z")
We moved recently and I am still finding cork screws. I think we are currently at 10or 11. Many of them are from friends who have come to our place over the years with a bottle of wine, friendship and cork screw. I am not sure what it says about us. Do people consider us winos? Do people consider us incompetent winos unable to open a bottle on our own? Anyway, we are awash in cork screws, some of them quite inovative. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560/60 "2009-03-17T13:15:24Z")
Of course. Itā€™s the ā€œfourthā€ eating utensil. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-cork-screw/489560.md?page=4)