Wine bottle openers
 

We're a two bottles a night house (wine) and I think we have tried every type of opener there is, most of them given to us as gifts. It seems like all the newer, creative openers we've tried break after limited use so now we're back to the tried and true - simple twist and pull. What does everybody else use?

FWIW we've been quite happy with a two-step "waiter's" corkscrew that we picked up at Trader Joe's for a few dollars. Our son recommended it to us - he's since moved on to a Rabbit but this one gets the job done for us quite nicely. A search will show these for sale from $8-15.

We added a foil cutter to our inventory as well. It works much better for us than the little knife found on many corkscrews.

Cheers,
Fredd

Take care you can look through the helix of the screw. It shouldn't have a massive core.
The "waiter's friend" corkscew would be my choice as well.

I have 3 different types, each of which is needed in some circumstance --dictated by cork condition and wine value. An open teflon screw is indeed important, to avoid impacting the cork. The more expensive models are meant for restaurants, as they open a bottle more quickly. Important if you open 100 bottles an hour, but not otherwise.

We have at least six or eight different types, and the waiters one gets the most use. A couple have a non stick coating like pans do, it makes it incredibly easy to screw into the bottle.

My second choice would be the Rabbit for good corks, and the one that puts two prongs, one on each side of the cork, to remove it without damaging the cork works for everything.

it has been amazing over the years to see how different people at wineries and restaurants prefer different styles.

I used to think that, until a particularly fragile cork in a particularly valuable bottle pushed into the wine and disintegrated -- not good. The screwpull works the best for fragile corks, interestingly enough, at least on the thousand bottles that I've tried it on.

Thanks for the tips - Waiter's Friend looks like they have a lot of good products.

the screwpull works best of the screw type because the diameter of the thread is among the largest.(the outside edges of the screw are very near the outside edges of the bottle). for old,soft and dry corks, i find an "Ah SO" works best.

I have a really old version of this one -

http://www.freshpromotions.com.au/pr...ne-opener1.jpg

It says "Italy" on it and has been in my family for years. I never liked those waiter type ones that you have to yank out the cork.

The Rabbit screwpull is my favorite for ease of use, every time.

That said, I usually use a standard waiter's corkscrew because I like the pomp and circumstance of it...feels like more of an event.

Until very recently, I was employed as a server and the two-step wine key was definitely the preferred corkscrew amongst myself and my colleagues.

i now use an electric Oster on anything that i think will pull with a std screw. just punch the button, and out comes the cork. does not work on older bottles with tired corks.

I love my Puigpull:

http://www.rosehillwinecellars.com/3...ils.php?id=830

In terms of size and heft it closely resembles a waiter's corkscrew, but has a sort of ratchet device. You flip open the screw part, twist it in, flip the handle up and put the notch on top of the bottle (just like a waiter's corkscrew). Then comes the fun part, you flip up the handle and work it like a ratchet and the cork lifts right out.

We saw this in use at Vini di Gigio in Venice, and loved it so much that the waiter sold us one. Once you get some experience it is really quick, and I like that it is a very manual operation.

ah-so only for me.

There's always this:

http://thereifixedit.failblog.org/20...duct/#comments

Pretty cool. Think I'll pass on the Bosch...

Santa brought me the Oster electric. So far it has opened one bottle in a row perfectly.

My standby is a no-name but heavy gage stainless steel waiters' model. The heavy gage stainless means that an imperfect placement will not cause it to torque over and bend.

The bent corkscrew occurred on a picnic at Wolf Trap near DC. Fellow picnicers got the joke when I approached them pleading a "corkscrew malfunction." The day was saved by a loaner corkscrew.

I still like using a "waiter's friend," mostly because it's small, easy to carry around to parties/events, and versatile (wine and beer bottle opener). I do have a Rabbit that I like very much, but I find that I only use it when A) I need to open many bottles very quickly and/or B) I've already been drinking enough such that my coordination (or lack thereof) makes it difficult to operate the "waiter's friend." :p :D

In that condition I need one that will open a screwcap...I hope I'm not the only one that's made that mistake after a few bottles

I did that once, and wasn't even blitzed.

Insert corkscrew
think "that went in VERY easy"
try to pull cork
corkscrew just comes right back out with no cork on it
look puzzled
finally the "doh" moment.

That was one of the many times I've said to my friends, "We will never speak of this again. Ever. Who needs a refill?"

I find that I use an Ah-so and a Screwpull, and between them, 99% of all corks are defeated. On a positive note, I find that I can pack an Ah So in my carry-on bags with no problem.

I think that Rogar makes the best wine opener. Our family has had the same one for 15 years, and we just decided to get a new one because we got new appliances and wanted the Pewter finish.

Put me on the list for the "waiter's" corkscrew. I've never had a problem with it as much as I do with other corkscrews.

We open a lot of wine bottles too...
 

and we have tried many different openers. They all broke (including the Screwpull and Rabbit) so we go back to the Laguiole brand. Yes, they're pricey - $80.00 and up depending on the material it's made of - but they really do last. (We have recently discovered the Hendry unoaked Chardonnay - it has a screw top!!!)

The Durand seems to combine the best of both worlds, the screw and the side grip for fragile corks.

http://thedurand.com/

http://i51.tinypic.com/5vbotu.jpg

I have nothing to do with the company and I do not have one to report on.

Chances are until somebody else starts knocking them off I won't have one, it's way up there price wise ($125 each)

I was with my parents over the holidays and picked up a two-step waiter's friend from Trader Joe's for them since they needed one. For $2, a good buy and easy to use. ^

how does that work? when i use an ah so!, i rock it back and forth, and rotate it both cw and ccw.

There are two components, the screw part and the dishonest
butler part. First you apply the screw to the cork, then insert
the d.b. around it. Now you have a three-point support that
should be sufficient to remove a cork, no matter how crumbly.
Here's the company take - from this you can see that the device
could conceivably be improved by making the parts interlock,
foolproofing the process for even the unsteadiest of hands.

The vast array of wine accessories on the market is just a clever marketing gimmick to fleece people who take something simple and turn it into a "lifestyle" (golfers are a similarly gullible sector). There is no reason to spend more than $7-10 on a wine opener. I have never seen anything more reliable, simple to use, and compact than the classic, double-hinged, waiter's corkscrew. As long as the screw itself is sufficiently long, sharp of point, and has a low-friction coating, you can't miss. A longer handle also provides more leverage. The only contraindication I can think of is for those who have arthritis or some physical handicap that might warrant a more complex device. But even so, a good waiter's corkscrew, used properly, requires minimal effort and will probably work just fine.

As for removing foil, I just yank off the whole capsule by hand. If it's "shrink wrapped" tightly around the bottle, you should check your storage conditions. But it does happen, and I use either the blade on the corkscrew or the screw tip itself to slice it off. My technique is too crude to be done tableside in a restaurant, but no one is paying me to open wine bottles (which in most cases are my own anyway, so freeloaders should be happy with the service they get).

I would agree except when it comes to old bottles of wine. Usually at 15+ years, but I've seen some cheap corks go soft and crumbly at 10. In these scenarios, a waiters corkscrew will not do you much good. So the $7 Ah-so does the trick in these situations.

I like to think of myself as a pseudo-sommelier when I'm entertaining close friends and guests. My SO one time zinged me hard in front of guests when this happened to me, "Real sommeliers don't do that, do they?"

Screwpull now has fancy Lever models, but I've always preferred the original simple Screwpull. It's a design classic and requires just one simple twisting action to effortlessly remove the cork.

As I mentioned, this is an example with a massive core, that could pobbilby rip a delicate cork apart.

This is the kind of helix I'd recommend

From the NY Times this morning

The $410 Corkscrew

And no, I'm not running out to get one, though I did think of this thread

These work so well ..... and so many people enquire - I bought a few when they were "on offer" and give them as gifts as people say "where can I buy one ......"

They make some cheapo ones in plastic - but it's essential that they're made of metal.


http://s7v1.scene7.com/is/image/John...id=600&hei=581

Yeah, I love mine. Here in the US the original brand name of these was the Rabbit, but there are a lot of knockoffs. When getting one, metal is important, yes. But it's also important to get one with removable corkscrews. The corkscrews themselves get dull with use and don't slip into the cork as easily, requiring replacement.

Still, I usually use the standard, no-frills waiter's friend. There's just something about the process of using it that I like: a modicum of skill, the feeling of working the screw into the cork, the squeak of cork on metal, the satisfying pop! from using two hands to get at tasty tasty wine...

I worked in wine retail for a time and have seen plenty of 'em. +1 for the waiter's 2-step, aka "broken knee." I have a 1-step laguiole with a teflon-coated screw that I love because it's sexy and perfectly weighted but frankly not as easy to use as a two-step.

The rabbit-style things I hate. Ditto the CO2-powered ones- they ALWAYS spray!

screwcaps (best) > waiter's friend (better) > rabbit (ok but can pierce the entire cork and not elegant) > hammer (bad)

corks are obsolete

I saw this monstrosity in Karstadt the other day. Not sure it would hold up any better than comparable openers, but it sure felt great in the hands. Very heavy for an opener

http://www.karstadt.de/WMF/Hebel-Kor...+883386+883388