5 Creative Ways to Open Wine Without a Corkscrew

Whether your corkscrew has vanished or broken, learning how to open wine without one is a must-have skill for any party host or hostess.

Here are five clever techniques for uncorking wine without a corkscrew, so you can enjoy your wine without worrying about cork bits or broken glass.

The Hammer and Screw Technique

At a family wake, when a vintage corkscrew from the 1960s jammed, my uncle stunned everyone by opening the bottle using just a screw, a screwdriver, and a hammer.

Step-by-Step Guide:

• Start by twisting a screw into the cork using a screwdriver — not deep into the bottle, but enough so that most of the screw remained outside the cork.
• Use the claw of the hammer to lift the screw out in one swift motion 

The Shoe Trick

This method works best with shoes that have a higher heel and a raised sole, such as a leather loafer that a man might wear to work.

Step-by-Step Guide:

• First, do this hack outside in case there's wine spillage, and stay to the side of the bottle to avoid getting said spillage on your clothes.
• Make sure any wrapping around the cork is removed before you place the bottom of the bottle into the sole of your shoe.
• Holding the bottle wine in the shoe, smack the sole against a sturdy wall a few times. You’ll notice the cork will slowly inch free and you’ll be able to ease it out. Or, it will fire out in a burst of wine, and the bottle will start to foam; hence being outside and staying to the side of the bottle. 

The Car Key Trick

Your car keys can be a clever tool to quickly extract a cork in seconds.

Step-by-Step Guide:

• Insert your car key at a slight angle, just as you would a corkscrew, leaving just a little bit of the key outside of the cork itself.
• You can use the top of your car key to turn the cork clockwise and up and out of the bottle.
• The key here is to turn it in circles as well as pull up in the same movement.

The Serrated Knife Trick

Just like with car keys, a serrated knife can be used to remove the cork from a wine bottle.

Step-by-Step Guide:

• Insert a blade into the cork and twist the cork in an upward motion 
• Once you have about an inch or so of cork to work with, take the knife out, stick it in again sideways, and simply twist out the cork in a circular motion.
  

The Wire Hanger Method

Who knew that unwound wire hangers could do more than just unclog drains?

Step-by-Step Guide:

• Twist a spare wire hanger into the shape of a corkscrew.
• Now you can easily wiggle your cork out of the bottle with a few quick twists.

If your cork has fallen apart and you’ve got bits floating in the wine, here’s a quick fix: strain the wine through a coffee filter. It’ll be like the cork was never there.