Wine Bottle Openers & Corkscrews

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	Int. Wine Accessories	Wine Enthusiast

Once you have a bottle of wine, you have to open it (obviously!).

This is getting easier than it used to be. Screw-tops, once the sign of a jug wine or worse, have gone mainstream. Wines from all over, particularly New Zealand, are increasingly using a screw-top closure. These bottles are very easy to open, and they can easily be resealed for storage in the refrigerator.

Most wines, however, are still sealed with a cork or a synthetic cork, which require a wine bottle opener. Many wine bottle openers & corkscrews are available online.

There are several different types of wine openers. They all will more or less open wine, but some are better suited for home use. Let’s take a look at the options.

Stationary Openers

The stationary models are typically used by restaurants or bars. These openers run from about $50 to more than $100, making them a nice gift idea but overkill for the home wine drinker. These units work well for new and well-maintained corks, but they cannot be used to tease open a bottle with a broken cork.

Rabbit and Lever Style Openers

Another highly automated opener is the Rabbit Lever Style. These openers make quick work of removing most corks and come with replacements for several of its many moving parts.

Ah-So and Pump Style Openers

About 20 years ago, several new and novel wine openers were introduced. Two of those that are still around are the Ah-So and the pump style openers. Both of these were immediately a hit among the wine geeks. However, they both usually end up in a junk drawer.

Twist Style Openers

There are nearly infinite different versions of the Twist Style openers. Most of the variations have little to do with function, such as the addition of grapes to the basket of the opener. Twist openers are very reliable, but some people have trouble using them because they require more force to pull the cork out.

Wing or Wide-Eyed Style Openers

Wide Eyed or Wing Style openers are relatively easy to use. They are pretty cheap, costing from about $5 to $20, and they last for a long time. On the downside, they tend to have too short a shank and don’t work well with difficult corks.

Wine Knife or Waiter’s Friend Openers

The final opener to think about is the Wine Knife or Waiter’s Friend. This is the style of opener that is used by most waiters and bar staff. They are small, relatively inexpensive, and can be used to salvage broken corks from bottles. On the downside, they can be difficult to learn to use. But once you get the hang of them, they work very well.

	Shop for openers & corkscrews online:
	Int. Wine Accessories	Wine Enthusiast