Elite Restaurant Equipment / Waiter Supplies / Corkscrews / How to Open a Wine Bottle
That's easy - use a corkscrew! Corkscrews come in a variety of styles and shapes, but their ultimate function is always the same - open a wine bottle and remove the cork. Indeed, if your restaurant serves wine, then there is no question that your kitchen and waitstaff need to be equipped with the appropriate type of corkscrew and trained in how to use a corkscrew.
This article will discuss the various types of corkscrews and how to use them - but first, let's discuss the various components that are common to most wine corkscrews.
Wine Corkscrews
There are a number of different wine corkscrews that can be used to uncork a wine bottle, but they all generally share common features. The wine corkscrew handle provides the necessary leverage to remove a cork from a wine bottle, with a grip that will vary according to the handle length and style.
The wine corkscrew worm is a twisted metal coil that facilitates removing cork from a wine bottle after the worm has been sufficiently dug into the wine bottle cork.The wine corkscrew bootlever provides greater leverage when removing cork from a wine bottle and is primarily found on the common compact waiter's corkscrew, or wine key.
Finally, wine corkscrews often include a foil cutter that is useful for removing the foil commonly found at the top of a wine bottle, as well as a bottle opener that can be used for popping open beer and soda bottles.
How To Use a Corkscrew
Let's take a closer look now at how to open a wine bottle with a corkscrew. The wine key, or "waiter's corkscrew" is one of the most common wine corkscrews, owing to its easy functionality and compact size.
A waiter begins by cutting and removing the foil from the neck of the wine bottle, followed by inserting and twisting the corkscrew worm into the cork. The first bootlever notch is held in place at the wine bottle lip while the handle is leveraged to pull the top half of the cork from the wine bottle.
Next, the second bootlever notch braces the tip of the bottle, allowing the full cork to be removed. Pocket corkscrews are similarly compact and usually include a sheath that covers the corkscrew worm, preventing any tears in an apron or pants pocket.
Opening a wine bottle with a pocket corkscrew is relatively straightforward as well. Begin by cutting and removing the foil from the wine bottle neck, before inserting and twisting the corkscrew until the worm is firmly embedded into the cork. Next, firmly pull out the handle to remove the cork from the wine bottle.
More Types of Wine Corkscrews
Wing Corkscrews are useful for removing synthetic corks from newer wine bottles - as opposed to the natural, brittle corks that are more commonly found in older wine bottles.
This type of corkscrew offers an ease of use and versatility with various sizes of cork, though natural corks are prone to shed fragments into the wine bottle when removed by a wing corkscrew.
After cutting and removing the foil from under the lip and around the neck of the bottle, center the worm into the cork. Next, twist the corkscrew lever until the wings have fully risen, at which point pushing down on them will remove the cork from the wine bottle.
Electric corkscrews represent an updated version of how to open a wine bottle. After removing the foil and positioning the wine bottle beneath the electric corkscrew, a simple push of a button will insert the worm and remove the cork.
Meantime, for catering halls, reception areas, or restaurants that open a large quantity of wine bottles, a wall mount corkscrew or counter mount corkscrew also offers speed and ease of use. These types of corkscrews easily attach to a wall, beam, table or counter for sturdy high volume usage.
After removing the foil and inserting the wine bottle into the corkscrew, a simple pull and release of the handle results in inserting the worm and removing the cork from the wine bottle.
More Ways to Open Wine Bottles
Lever corkscrews offer an ease of use and control that results from the handle firmly holding the wine bottle neck when in use.
A simple back and forth motion of the lever inserts the worm and removes the cork from the wine bottle. Meantime, wine cork extractors are most useful for vintage wine bottles that include natural, brittle corks that are prone to leaving crumbs behind in the bottle.
Wine cork extractors include prongs that slide down between the cork and the inside of the wine bottle neck, allowing for traction on the cork, which can be removed with a firm pull and twist upward.
Finally, continuous pull corkscrews are best utilized with a twist motion as the sides and handle of the corkscrew maintain the bottle firmly in place, allowing for removal of the cork from the wine bottle.