Do those TikTok and Reddit hacks work?
Three beverage experts weigh in on how to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew.
And one of those online searches that have created a barrage of bad shortcuts?
Photo:Crystal Hughes
How to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew.
Our panel reluctantly concedes there are two.
“you’re able to do this in a pinch,” says Selinger.
“It leaves debris behind, but it’s not the worst option.”
And Ortiz confessed to this being his go-to method during his college years.
“This is actually incredibly clever!”
Crystal Hughes
Lesser Advised Options for Opening Wine Without a Corkscrew
The push and pump methods earned green lights.
“This seems like the general idea of how a waiter’s corkscrew works,” says Brickel.
“Using torque and leverage to remove it.”
“No one wants wine with a hint of glass shard in it!”
“Wine bottles do not like heat.
At best, it will affect the flavor.
Then there’s the strong chance of burning yourself.
And high heat glass = breaking.
Again, drinking glass is not a good idea.”
Our experts adamantly reject this set of “hacks” for opening wine without a corkscrew.
This lands in the “worst” category not for safety reasons, but for ineffectiveness.
Contributing to that is its lack of strength.
“There’s no way I would feel comfortable recommending this,” says Brickel.
“I value my fingers and yours too much to consider stabbing at a wine cork with a knife.
Avoid, yo and thank you!”
Safety aside, it also just isn’t efficient.
“This typically doesn’t work and it disintegrates the cork,” says Selinger.
All of them were equally upsetting to our panel.
The most common one is to wrap the bottle in a towel and gently hit it against the wall.
“Do not do this.
It’s stupid,” Selinger says flatly.
And although Ortiz generously concedes, “Have people done it successfully?
“Smacking bottles is generally a good way to send vibrations through the glass that can cause shattering.
At that point, “Just drink a beer,” Selinger advises drily.
But the resounding recommendation is to just buy the waiter’s corkscrew.
We’ll drink to that.
