A Guide to Corkscrew Wine Openers

Anatomy of a Corkscrew

• Corkscrew worm: a single metal helix that drives into a wine cork to remove it from the bottle. The helix grabs the cork as it is twisted in so that the cork can be fully removed from the wine bottle.
• Corkscrew handle: provides the leverage and grip necessary to remove corks from the wine bottle. Handle styles, lengths, and materials vary greatly across the different types of corkscrews.
• Corkscrew bootlever: provides additional leverage to pull wine corks out of wine bottles. Bootlevers are primarily found on waiter's corkscrews.
• Foil cutter: generally small, serrated blades or wheels that are used to slice open the protective foil covering at the top of the wine bottle.
• Bottle cap remover: transforms a corkscrew from simply being able to open wine to popping the tops off beer or soda bottles. Bottle cap removers are available on many styles of corkscrews.

Different Types of Corkscrews

Waiter's Corkscrews Overview

1. Start by cutting the foil under the lip of the bottle
2. Remove the foil from the bottle neck
3. Place the worm on the center of the cork and twist the corkscrew to insert the worm into the cork
4. Place the first, small boot lever notch on the lip of the bottle and hold it in place
5. Lever the handle up to pull the cork about halfway out of the bottle
6. Move the second boot lever notch to the tip of the bottle and pull the cork the rest of the way out of the bottle
7. To remove the cork from the worm, reverse the corkscrew motion while holding onto the cork

Pocket Corkscrews Overview

1. Start by cutting the foil under the lip of the bottle
2. Remove the sheath and slide it into the opening at the base of the corkscrew
3. Insert the corkscrew into the cork and turn until the worm is inserted into the cork
4. Once the worm is fully inserted, pull outwards on the handle to remove the cork
5. To remove the cork from the worm, reverse the corkscrew motion while holding onto the cork

Wing Corkscrews Overview

1. Start by cutting the foil under the lip of the bottle
2. Cut the foil around the neck of the bottle
3. Remove the foil and insert the worm into the center of the cork
4. Twist the corkscrew lever to insert the worm into the cork. Continue twisting until the wings rise all the way up
5. Once the wings have risen, push down on them simultaneously to pull the cork out of the bottle
6. To remove the cork from the corkscrew simply turn the handle counterclockwise

Electric Corkscrews Overview

1. Start by cutting the foil under the lip of the bottle
2. Place the electric corkscrew on top of the wine bottle neck. Be sure to keep the corkscrew vertical
3. Turn the corkscrew on and it will automatically insert the worm and remove the cork
4. Remove the corkscrew from the top of the bottle once corkscrew has removed the cork
5. Reverse the corkscrew motion to remove the cork from the worm

Counter Mount Corkscrews Overview

1. Start by cutting the foil under the lip of the bottle
2. Insert the wine bottle in the corkscrew
3. Pull down on the handle to insert the corkscrew worm
4. Release the handle to uncork the wine bottle
5. Return the handle to the up position and the cork will fall off the worm

Lever Corkscrews Overview

1. Start by cutting the foil under the lip of the bottle
2. Remove the foil from the bottle neck
3. With the lever in the up position, place the corkscrew on top of the wine bottle
4. Push the lever down to insert the worm into the cork
5. Once the lever is all the way down, pull the handle back up to remove the cork from the wine bottle
6. To remove the cork from the worm, lift the corkscrew off the bottle and flip the handle up and down a few times

Wine Cork Extractors Overview

1. Start by cutting the foil under the lip of the bottle
2. Firmly holding the neck of the bottle, slide the extractor prongs between the cork and the inside of the bottle neck
3. Shimmy the prongs down using a left to right motion while applying light force to the handle
4. Once fully inserted, twist the extractor and pull upward to remove the cork
5. To remove the cork from the extractor simply slide it out from between the prongs

Wall Mount Corkscrews Overview

1. Start by cutting the foil under the lip of the bottle
2. Insert the neck of the wine bottle into the cradle
3. Pull down on the handle to insert the corkscrew
4. Return the handle to the starting position to pull the cork out
5. Once the bottle is removed from the cradle the cork will fall to the floor

Continuous Pull Corkscrews Overview

1. Start by cutting the foil under the lip of the bottle
2. Place the base of the corkscrew over the top of your wine bottle
3. Turn the handle clockwise to insert the worm into the cork
4. As the worm screws into the cork, slide the sides over the neck of the bottle for a better grip
5. Continue turning the handle clockwise until the cork is fully extracted
6. To remove the cork from the corkscrew simply turn the handle counterclockwise