Don’t have a corkscrew? Here’s how to open a bottle of wine with ease

So, you don’t have a corkscrew. It’s happened to us all. You bought a fancy bottle of wine (with no twist-off cap) and forgot to get a corkscrew. Pause the party and keep reading to find out how to open your precious bottle of wine without a corkscrew. 

Whether you’re hosting a big bash or a party of one, you need that cork out of the bottle ASAP! While trying to maneuver this cork out, remember to be careful not to snap the cork in half – or even worse – break the bottle entirely. For the wine’s well-being, please proceed with caution! Here’s how to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew. 

Method 1: long screw & hammer

This one is fairly foolproof considering you’re just creating a faux corkscrew. What you need to do is find a long screw, the longer the screw the better, and screw it into the cork. Make sure to leave about an inch of screw visible from the top. Now, use the backside of a hammer to grab onto the screw’s head and pull that sucker out of there!

By the time you’ve pulled out the cork and poured the wine, you’ll be sweating from the arm workout you’ve just accomplished. Now, time to sit back and take a sip of that fine wine!

Method 2: bike pump

Go grab the bike pump for the bike you don’t even use, and stick the needle into the cork. Push the needle in until the tip is all the way through and reaches the air between the cork and the wine. Now, you’re gonna pump air into the bottle and slowly, as the air pressure builds, the cork will begin to move out of the bottle. 

Wine bottles are rather durable so don’t worry about glass explosions and shard-stabbed dinner party guests! It would take a whole lot more pressure than your bike pump can produce. 

Method 3: wooden spoon

Take the handle of a wooden spoon (or any similarly sized blunt object) and push the cork into the bottle. Push the cork all the way until it falls into the wine. Although this may be the easiest method, it also has the most downsides. 

For example, there is no way to get that cork out of the wine bottle. If the cork stays intact, you can simply pour the wine as usual. However, if the bottle is older, the cork may crumble and break into pieces in your wine. If you’re with a group of pals and know all the wine will be drunk, then simply pour the wine out through a sieve and into a decanter. 

Method 4: a key or serrated knife

Grab your house keys or your already-tipsy guest’s car keys and use those as a corkscrew. Dig the key or a serrated knife into the cork at an angle of 45 degrees and twist the item into a circular motion. 

Slowly but surely, the cork will come out of the bottle. Yet, similar to method three, there is a hazard of a crumbling cork. Therefore, you may have to pour your wine through a sieve if this occurs.

Method 5: towel & a wall

Okay, now if you have none of the items needed in the previous method, then this one is your last resort. This method is also the riskiest with a higher chance of damaging your bottle of wine. 

Wrap the bottom of the bottle with one or two thick towels and then slam that bottle onto a wall a few times. Let your anger out but don’t use your full strength to avoid a broken wine bottle. After a few smacks, the cork should pop out of the bottle. 

Method 6: blowtorch

Well, if you don’t have a corkscrew, wooden spoon, long screw, or a wall but you do have a blowtorch, we won’t question you. Here’s how to open a bottle of wine with a blowtorch. Grab your lukewarm bottle and apply the heat right below where the cork is and the heat should move the cork outwards. 

Warning, don’t apply heat to a cold glass bottle of wine or else it will definitely explode and there will be a shard-stabbed dinner party guest. You’ve been warned. 

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There you have it! You now know how to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew. Now, go get that party started back up and pour the festivities!