The Best Type of Wine Opener: A Double-Hinged Waiter's Corkscrew

In the past, I had always used a traditional corkscrew to open a bottle of wine. Now, I use nothing but a wine key or waiter’s corkscrew.

A traditional corkscrew has two arms that lift and a top pull that twists. A wine key, sometimes called a waiter’s corkscrew, has a small knife for cutting the foil capsule that covers the cork and uses a metal fulcrum positioned on the lip of the bottle to create leverage to lift the cork up and out.

A double-hinged waiter’s corkscrew allows you to pull the cork in two steps because it has a double lever system.

Using one may at first seem complex but it’s actually quite simple.

• Place the tip of the screw or “worm” at the center of the cork

• Press down lightly as you twist the corkscrew down into the cork

• Keep turning until just one loop of the corkscrew is left above the cork

• Bend the hinge so that the curved notch sits on the lip of the bottle

• Hold the notch against the bottle lip for leverage with one hand and pull the corkscrew up with the other hand

• Then, switch to the second notch and continue pulling the cork out of the bottle (bottom photos)

• Once the cork is out of the bottle, twist the cork off the worm by hand

It may take some practice to use the waiter’s style corkscrew but once you get the knack, you’ll never go back to what you were previously using. Cheers!

Ever Wonder? How Should You Open a Wine Bottle Sealed with Wax?

Last time we looked at some of the reasons why a wine bottle might have a wax seal over the cork. Now, to the question of how best to remove the wax so that the cork can be extracted. Here are a few options:

Probably the easiest way to remove a wax seal is if it is actually one that has a built-in tab that can be pulled - just like the foil on a Champagne bottle. Just lift the tab, pulled it around the neck of the bottle and the cap will easily come off and expose the top of the cork. But, this type of seal is actually rare. So, if you are not so lucky, there are several other options for dealing with a wax capsule.

If the wax is soft and malleable, you just might be able to peel off the wax like a foil capsule. Or, carefully use a wine opener’s knife to cut off the top of the wax seal and expose the cork.

Another approach that can be used with soft wax is to simply insert a cork screw right through the top of the wax seal and pull out the cork and wax cap simultaneously.

Now, if the wax is very hard and almost like a hard plastic there are a couple of options. First, you can try to softening the wax by holding the bottle upside down and running hot water over just the upper neck of the bottle. In this case, try to just get the capsule warm and softened without heating the entire bottle. Then peel away the softened wax or go right through it with the corkscrew.

Or, the last-ditch technique for dealing with hard wax is to just start digging away at the top. Ideally, use the knife of a corkscrew to chip away at the wax until you’ve fully exposed the top of the cork.

A wax seal on a wine bottle may look very elegant but at the same time it can make the bottle difficult to deal with. But, stay patient. There’s a nice glass of wine just waiting for you on the other side of the wax-sealed cork! Cheers!

The Ah So Corkscrew Can Be Your Friend

There are a bunch of corkscrews available to purchase and they all do the same thing. Mostly.

The task of every corkscrew is to remove a cork from a bottle of wine. But not all corks are equal. And, when it comes to older corks, they can be a bit fragile. If you've ever pulled out a prized older bottle of wine but had the cork break apart while trying to extract it, the Ah So corkscrew can be your friend.

The Ah So excels at removing fragile or brittle older corks that tend to fall apart when using a traditional corkscrew. It works by inserting the prongs between the cork and the inside of the bottle's neck. Once inserted, it pinches down on the sides of the cork. Then, by pulling up and twisting, the cork can be extracted.

Because the Ah So does not pierce the cork, it also has been called the "Butler's Friend." As the story goes, a dishonest butler could remove the cork of a bottle of wine, pour himself a bit and replace the cork without his boss knowing otherwise.

Having an Ah So on hand is not a requirement for most wine drinkers, but it can be very useful, with practice, for extracting a fragile or half-broken cork.  Cheers!