# How do you open a wine bottle without a corkscrew? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721 "2004-10-23T01:52:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/21 "2004-10-23T08:06:02Z")
Push the cork in whole with the handle of a teaspoon - you may need to keep the spoon handle in to keep the cork out the way until you’ve poured the first glass, but once there’s enough air in there you’ll be fine. Opening non-twist beer bottles without an opener? Use the striker plate on the door frame, tilting upwards quickly to avoid spilling any. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/22 "2004-10-23T09:26:24Z")
Get into a gunfight. Stay behind cover but hold the neck of the bottle up. It will get shot off. [sub]Got that, Chief?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/23 "2004-10-23T10:00:24Z")
[Boring and serious] I wouldn’t recommend drinking any wine that was from a bottle where the integrity of the bottle glass was compromised. Little slivers of glass was how Caligula dispatched of party guests he didn’t like. That said, if you poured it through a paper coffee filter first, you’d probably be OK. [/Bas] I have done this several times using the handle of a wooden spoon. It’s advisable to do it in the sink, with a kitchen towel wrapped around the top of the bottle, as the wine occasionally squirts out as the cork goes in. Then you have the interesting problem of removing the cork (if you really care). I have a friend, a big ox of a man, who does this as a party trick: dangle the corner of your kitchen towel into the bottle until it snags the cork; maonoeuver the towel and cork until the cork is engaged in the neck of the bottle with the towel surrounding it. Then pull like a bastard. As for beer bottles, I can do this with a cigarette lighter and my knuckle. It takes a bit of practice to get the leverage right, and then it’s no effort whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/24 "2004-10-23T10:50:31Z")
Beer bottles, I have an Uncle who does it with his eye socket. But then he is a freakish Veitnam Vet and does many things most of us don’t. But for the wine bottle, wooden spoon! And next time you are at the shops buy a swiss army knife. ---
**Author:** ![quothz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/da6949/32.png) [@quothz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quothz)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/25 "2004-10-23T11:01:26Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > I’ve seen this on M_A_S\*H several times. Just bust the neck of the bottle off on the fender of your Jeep. I agree with jjimm that this is probably a Bad Idea. Aside from the question of maybe drinking broken glass, there’s the question of having anything sharp and jagged that close to your face, and that goes double while you’re drinking. Plus there’s the whole “shards of glass all over the ground” issue. Just… don’t do that. Plenty of good suggestions in here. A wire coat hanger can make a decent corkscrew in a pinch, too, if you’ve a pair of pliers handy. Er, don’t use a rusty hanger for this. As always, be careful fooling around with sharp pointy objects while drinking. ---
**Author:** ![Lambo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lambo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lambo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/26 "2004-10-23T12:32:25Z")
[Use inertia](http://www.exploratorium.edu/aaas-2001/dispatches/science_is_fun.html) (I can’t be bothered to download realplayer, so I didn’t watch the video, but I had heard of this method before. Especially handy during picnics, against a tree). ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/27 "2004-10-23T12:50:55Z")
> [@Lambo](#): > > [Use inertia](http://www.exploratorium.edu/aaas-2001/dispatches/science_is_fun.html) (I can’t be bothered to download realplayer, so I didn’t watch the video, but I had heard of this method before. Especially handy during picnics, against a tree). That’s so freakin’ cool! Easy, cheap, and even faster than a corkscrew! I am _so_ going to have to try that at the next party. I think we have a winner - with a cite! I bow to your powers of Dopeness, sir! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Caiata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@Caiata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caiata)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/28 "2004-10-23T13:53:34Z")
Of course there’s always “sabre service” … just get yourself a really sharp, short sword, use it to shave away any decorative foil wrapping near the neck of the bottle, lay the blade flat against the bottle with the sharp edge pointing toward the cork, and slide the blade rapidly up toward the cork in one smooth motion. If you’re lucky, the blade will catch on the ribbed area of the bottle opening and take the whole top of the bottle clean off! If you’re unlucky, of course, you might lose a hand. But it’s flashy! [Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any injuries resulting from attempted sabre service. Kids, don’t try this at home. Only works if you’re an Iron Chef or, as they say, “Iron Sommelier” 🙂] ---
**Author:** ![Elvez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@Elvez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvez)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/29 "2004-10-23T16:22:25Z")
> [@Lambo](#): > > [Use inertia](http://www.exploratorium.edu/aaas-2001/dispatches/science_is_fun.html) (I can’t be bothered to download realplayer, so I didn’t watch the video, but I had heard of this method before. Especially handy during picnics, against a tree). I didn’t look at the clip either, but yeah I’ve used a tree before, or a car tire. Hold the bottle horizontal and bang the bottom of the bottle against a solid, unbreakable object repeatedly (not too hard!). Pushes the cork out from the inside. Or push the cork in with a pen or something. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/30 "2004-10-23T18:30:46Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > Any way I can open this using knives/forks/pens/etc (preferably without spilling the wine)? Yes. A few of them might work. Most of them are silly, impractical or will result in chunks of glass all over the place. You may get a laugh from your guests but nothing spoils a good glass of wine like picking out bits of cork and/or glass from it. “Mmm…crunchy with overtones of oak and apple.” You can buy a cheap corkscrew for about two bucks anywhere on the face of the earth. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/31 "2004-10-23T18:45:14Z")
> [@Caiata](#): > > Of course there’s always “sabre service” … just get yourself a really sharp, short sword, use it to shave away any decorative foil wrapping near the neck of the bottle, lay the blade flat against the bottle with the sharp edge pointing toward the cork, and slide the blade rapidly up toward the cork in one smooth motion. If you’re lucky, the blade will catch on the ribbed area of the bottle opening and take the whole top of the bottle clean off! > > If you’re unlucky, of course, you might lose a hand. > > But it’s flashy! > > [Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any injuries resulting from attempted sabre service. Kids, don’t try this at home. Only works if you’re an Iron Chef or, as they say, “Iron Sommelier” 🙂] That’s for champagne bottles. It works because the cork sticks out of the bottle. With a wine bottle, you’d have to break the glass - not easy or suave. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/32 "2004-10-23T18:48:56Z")
> [@chula](#): > > That’s for champagne bottles. It works because the cork sticks out of the bottle. With a wine bottle, you’d have to break the glass - not easy or suave. If you re-read the post, you’ll find that it’s a method of taking the glass top of the bottle off cleanly, not the cork. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/33 "2004-10-23T19:09:58Z")
> [@Baraqiyal](#): > > Screw a couple of wood screws into the cork, then pull it out with vice-grips. This is probably the best solution, and does not require vise-grips. Simply set good-sized screws firmly into the cork, deep enough where the cork will pull out with the screw instead of the screw pulling out of the cork. Then use any means where the screw is securely held by one thing and the bottle by another, and extract screw with cork accompanying it. Also useful is disassembling a coat hanger, the kind where the end not curved into a hook is wrapped around the vertical section (above the “shoulder” part) of the end that is. This can be done with pliers and/or flathead screwdriver. The resulting helical length of sturdy wire produces a good makeshift corkscrew, and the rest of the dismantled coathanger makes a useful handle for it. Or break down, go out, and buy a corkscrew. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/34 "2004-10-23T23:29:21Z")
Jeezus, this is like when my roommate wouldn’t make instant oatmeal because “It takes too long”. I was just at Trader Joe’s. $1.99 for a corkscrew. Make a capital investment. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/35 "2004-10-23T23:44:13Z")
Discover a fourth spatial dimension, then simply reach around the edge of the bottle and push the cork out from the inside. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/36 "2004-10-24T00:27:01Z")
Heh, this thread made me laugh. I still wasn’t able to get the bottle open though; I don’t have a vise, a syringe, or a shotgun, damn. But I bought a corkscrew today, so hopefully I’ll be able to open it now. The cork still doesn’t want to come out, though. I didn’t realize you needed so much upper body strength to pull out a cork. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/37 "2004-10-24T00:43:43Z")
> [@Random](#): > > Sure, that’d probably work, but what do you really think that someone who doesn’t have a corkscrew is likely to have vicegrips? 17 pair Vice-Grip pliers of various types and not one corkscrew in my house. I have a pair of 8 inch pair of Channellock pliers in a kitchen drawer that have been used to open the rare bottle of wine in my house. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/38 "2004-10-24T01:12:48Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > Heh, this thread made me laugh. I still wasn’t able to get the bottle open though; I don’t have a vise, a syringe, or a shotgun, damn. But I bought a corkscrew today, so hopefully I’ll be able to open it now. The cork still doesn’t want to come out, though. I didn’t realize you needed so much upper body strength to pull out a cork. Two tricks are useful here: [ul] [li] Rock the corkscrew from side to side as you pull. Even if it doesn’t appear to move, you’re still affecting the amount of friction between the glass and the cork.[/li][li] For particularly recalcitrant corks, put the bottle of wine on the floor between your feet and pull up. My arm muscles may not be up to the task, but I have yet to find the cork that can resist my back muscles and their larger lever arm.[/li][/ul] Apologies if you’ve already tried these, but you did say that you’re not familiar with wine in general. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/39 "2004-10-24T01:14:40Z")
You also need to buy the right kind of corkscrew. A “waiter’s corkscrew” is the best, cheapest kind, and gives you good leverage. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721/40 "2004-10-24T02:27:13Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > You also need to buy the right kind of corkscrew. A “waiter’s corkscrew” is the best, cheapest kind, and gives you good leverage. 😃 For those not corkscrewey savvy-it has a screwin dingus on top, which lifts two handly parts on either side. When you’re screwy, push the handly parts down and you’re ready for some vintage MD20/20. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-open-a-wine-bottle-without-a-corkscrew/270721.md?page=3)