How to Open a Bottle of Wine

Opening a bottle of wine is not difficult to learn. However, if you do not do it properly, you can break a cork or allow pieces of cork to enter the bottle.
You should start with a good corkscrew. There are several different designs for cork removers, but the traditional cork remover is the type that looks similar to a pocket knife. This type is frequently called a wine key. The waiters in all good restaurants use this type of corkscrew.

There are three tools attached to the handle of a wine key: a small knife, the worm (the corkscrew) and the lever. The first step is to use the knife and cut the foil or capsule around the neck of the bottle. The knife can then be used to scrape the side of the foil, which cuts it and removes the foil in one piece. At that point, it is a good idea to wipe the top of the bottle with a damp cloth to remove any dust or mold that may have accumulated at the winery.

Second, insert the tip of the worm into the center of the cork and turn the handle to screw it in. Estimate where the tip will break through the bottom of the cork and stop just short of this point. This prevents bits of cork from contaminating the wine. If you do not penetrate deep enough, the cork could break off as you remove it.

Third, use the lever to start removing the cork from the bottle, but stop when the cork has been extracted about 75% or the way. At this point the remaining part of the cork should be removed with a gentle wiggle or twist. This avoids having pieces of the cork break off and fall into the bottle. Do not bend the cork while extracting it from the bottle or it may break.