5 Ways to Open a Wine Bottle Without a Corkscrew

Wine professionals share their favorite techniques and three methods to avoid—plus how not to get into this situation in the first place.

​Picture this: You've landed in a charming vacation home and can't wait to open a bottle of your favorite red, but alas, your rental is lacking in the kitchen essentials department. Or you're out in the wilderness, camping with not a corkscrew in sight. Then there's the moving scenario—boxes everywhere, but the one labeled "kitchen" remains elusive. No matter the situation, learning how to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew is a skill you’ll need at some point. Believe it or not, getting stuck without a wine key happens to the best of us—even sommeliers and winemakers! You might wish you had just gone with a screw cap bottle, wine in a can, or even a box—but with the right tools and a little elbow grease, you can pop the cork and be sipping away in no time.

Related: How to Get a Stuck Cork Out of a Wine Bottle

We asked wine professionals for the best ways to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew. The following methods are tried, true, and tested by pros—but remember, none are entirely foolproof. Your odds of success are much higher with a natural cork vs. synthetic, rubber, or plastic cork. There's often no way to tell what material the cork is made of until you're in the bottle-opening process, so if you remove the foil capsule from the neck of the bottle (which should always be your first step) and spy a natural cork, you're off to a great start.

Once the foil has been removed, the next steps will be dictated by your surroundings, your level of finesse, and your willingness to embrace a bit of wine-related risk. Here are five bottle-opening strategies for getting your next glass of wine flowing:

The Screw Method

This method is highly recommended by certified sommelier and wine educator Pamela Vachon, and it's one of the simplest solutions we found. Vachon found herself in the aforementioned "just moved" scenario, with numerous packed boxes labeled "kitchen" but little patience to dig through each one to locate a wine key to christen her new place. She says, "Since my tools were already handy, this method worked like a charm: gently turn a small household screw into the cork (I actually used my electric screwdriver at a low speed to do this). With about a quarter inch of the screw left exposed, you can then gently pry the cork out with the claw side of a hammer."

The Push-it-In Method

This strategy is one of the most frequently attempted ways to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew—especially since it requires no special tools, just a blunt instrument of your choice! The standard recommendation is a long wooden spoon—but Katie Nelson, VP of winemaking at Chateau Ste. Michelle, also endorses trying to push the cork into the bottle using a butter knife or even a toothbrush handle. "Just be careful not to break the neck!" she says.

Philadelphia sommelier Nicole Ramirez recommends using a chopstick to push in the cork: "I would do this over a sink and only recommend if it's a wine you don't mind drinking with a little cork float."

Pretty much any blunt tool will do the trick; one memorable example of true creativity came when Terra Jane Albee, founder of wine club Ownroot Collective, found herself stuck in an elevator with her husband and a case of Hudson Rosé. She explains, "I didn't have a wine key with me, so I used a pen instead. I pressed it into the cork until the cork pushed into the bottle. We drank from the bottle while we waited for a rescue. Really helped keep us calm!"

However, it's worth noting that once the cork is pushed inside, it becomes challenging to retrieve. In addition, if the wine bottle is on the older side, the cork may deteriorate and disintegrate, possibly shedding into the wine. You can use a strainer during the pouring process, directing the wine into a decanter to filter out any cork remnant, and in a pinch, even pouring the wine through a coffee filter will strain stray crumbles of cork pieces.

The Knife Method

For this wine-opening technique, reach for a moderately sharp steak knife or serrated knife (butter knives are less effective)—and use caution. The objective is to delicately pierce the cork's heart in a downward and slightly angled direction. Position the blade just beyond the cork's edge, aiming it toward the center. Gently press it down about an inch, creating a secure hold on the cork that allows you to start coaxing it out by pushing or carefully rotating it in a circular motion.

Don't have a steak knife handy? Morgan Perry, founder of Morgan Perry PR and Vino Vinyasa, says she's had success with a humble pocket knife: "It is not pretty, but you can put the knife into the cork and begin to turn. Usually, it will start to come up but then will break off, so you have to keep at it. But it will get your wine open!"

The Key Method

When the push-it-in method fails, and you don't have any other tools or implements on hand, look to something you probably always have on you: your keys!

Once the foil has been removed, insert the key into the cork's center at a slight diagonal angle. Begin a gentle twist, allowing the cork to emerge gradually. Continue until the cork is partially revealed, taking hold of it with your hand to achieve a seamless extraction.

You might have to work through your key ring until you find the right fit, says Jacqlene Sifre, winery intern at City Winery Hudson Valley. She says, "I've done this successfully with a small mailbox key, the key part was pointier than my house key, so I was able to get it into the cork and twist it out!" This may be the best option in terms of simplicity.

The Shoe Method

The most unexpected method that's become popular (thanks to some viral videos on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok) is a party trick that actually appears to work: using a hard-soled shoe to uncork your wine!

To open a wine bottle with a shoe, remove the foil, exposing the cork for what comes next. The bottle should be positioned vertically within the heel of the shoe, ensuring that the bottle's base securely rests on the shoe's heel. Next, locate a solid wall to reduce the risk of unexpected bottle-related mishaps. With one hand gently supporting the bottle's neck and the other firmly gripping the shoe's toe, tap the heel against the wall consistently, and the cork will start to jut out of the neck of the bottle. Once the cork extends sufficiently for easy retrieval, gently twist it out of the glass (though don't be afraid to employ pliers if needed).

Selecting the right shoe is crucial for this task: hard-soled men's dress shoes or boots are well-suited for the job. With their substantial cushioning, running shoes aren't ideal, as they tend to absorb the impact needed to achieve the goal. Avoid high heels, which may not align correctly—the bottle should be perpendicular to the wall for the best results.

Avoid These Methods of Opening a Wine Bottle Without a Corkscrew

Heating the Neck of the Bottle

Some people swear by holding a lighter to the neck of the wine bottle, heating the oxygen underneath the cork and causing it to expand, pushing the cork out of the bottle. While this innovative technique has ignited an online fervor, it comes with no guarantees of success or safety: the risk of shattering the bottle into shards is a huge concern. Ramirez agrees, "There was a trend on TikTok of people using lighters to open their wine, and although it can work, please use caution! If your wine is cold, using a lighter can cause the bottle to break."

Banging the Wine Against a Tree

Jenny Phan, marketing and communications Manager at Dry Creek Vineyard, cautions against attempting this strategy, which had a viral YouTube moment a few years back: wrapping the base of your wine bottle in a thick towel and banging it against a tree trunk, hoping to force the cork out. "We know someone who sliced their forearm while attempting it," says Phan. For safety reasons, we're ruling this one out.

Using a Bicycle Pump

Another method rumored to be successful is piercing your wine cork with the needle of a bicycle pump, in theory pumping oxygen through the cork and using air pressure to express the cork out of the bottle. However, none of the professionals we spoke to had any positive results with the bike pump method—and the internet seems to agree.

A Final Piece of Advice

Most beverage professionals agree that instead of resorting to these methods, one's sanity would ultimately be saved by this simple fix: purchasing a screw-cap bottle. Anna Welch Prost, associate winemaker at A to Z Wineworks, is a true believer in the convenience of the screw-top bottle, and a growing number of excellent wineries agree with her. Screw caps provide unparalleled ease of use, do an excellent job at preserving the wine, and are eco-friendly to boot. Especially if you're headed to uncertain settings like a vacation rental, a camping trip, attending a picnic, or moving—plan ahead and stock up on screw-caps.

Read the original article on Martha Stewart.