How to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew

No corkscrew? No problem. The internet is awash with inventive solutions. We puts six of them to the test, with some surprisingly explosive results.

1. Push the cork in

So I’m sitting here in front of six bottles of wine, with the sum of human knowledge available to me via Google. The first is dispatched by thumbing the cork down the neck with a tea towel shrouding it to avoid mess. This doesn’t take long, but feels somehow sad and impotent. The cork bobs on the surface like a dead goldfish.

2. Use a lighter

I really didn’t think this would work. Take a lighter and slowly heat the neck of the bottle just below the cork. You can rotate the operation 90 degrees every minute or so. Then, suddenly, as if hoisted upward by some invisible thread, the cork pops straight out, carried by the expanding gas below.

3. Lever it out 

At this point, I’m not sure it’s wise to be handling tools, but nonetheless I manage to drive a standard wood screw into the cork’s flesh. Then, using a hammer, I try to lever it out of the bottle – but the nail keeps slipping. Perhaps it wasn’t screwed in tight enough? I end up returning to method one.

4. Shoe it

You put the bottle inside the shoe – cork facing outwards – then bang it against the wall, holding onto both shoe and bottle, preferably while listening to EDM so you can match the beats per minute. I’d never tried this before but it works surprisingly well and the cork pops out merrily.

5. Use a knife

In times of crisis, I often turn to a YouTube channel called CrazyRussianHacker, where a shaven-headed guy will give you practical solutions to everyday problems. His proposed technique is to insert a blade into the cork at an acute angle, rotate and lever it out. Do not try this ever, and particularly not after four bottles of wine.

6. Pump it up

Apparently you can use a bike pump inserted down the neck of the bottle to pop the cork out. I really got into it, switching the music to Technotronic’s “Pump Up the Jam”. More texts from the neighbour. Fun fact about Technotronic: they’re from Belgium. Can’t seem to think of any other breakout Belgian bands. Soulwax? Anyway, the bottle exploded.