Opening A Bottle of Wine: 101

As easy as this sounds, you’d be surprised at how clueless some people really are. Opening a bottle of wine is something that not a lot of people know how to do properly, but it’s something that we will eventually experience, some more than others. The following guide will take you through the steps to properly open a bottle of wine.

Step 1.
The first thing you want to do is to get a good grip of the bottle. The last thing you want is for the bottle to slip out of your hands as you are trying to open it. That’s not very debonair.

Step 2.
Once you get a good grip, pull out the knife on the opener and start to cut the foil cover just under the lip of the bottle.

Step 3.
Place your thumb on the back of the neck of the bottle while you cut the foil on the front from left to right. Then, take the knife to the back of the neck and cut the remaining foil until both cuts meet. At this point you should have a straight cut around the neck of the bottle.

Step 4.
Use the knife to start peeling off the foil above the lip. If your cut was straight through, the foil should come off in one piece without a problem.

Step 5.
Push in the knife and pull out the screw (aka the worm). Take the screw from an angle and stick the tip of it into the center of the cork.

Step 7.
Once the screw tip is into the cork, straighten the opener and start to turn clockwise. Make sure to keep it straight because if the screw goes in at an angle, the cork may break upon opening.

Step 8.
Penetrate the screw all the way down while leaving a couple of inches left. Next, locate the 1st hinge on the wine opener and place it on the top of the bottle.

Step 9.
Hold the hinge tight to the bottle as you grab the opener with your other hand and pull up. If you are putting enough force, the cork will start to come out of the bottle.

Step 10.
Once half of the cork is exposed, you’ll also notice that you no longer have enough leverage using the 1st hinge. Switch to the 2nd hinge and continue to pull until the entire cork is about to come out.

Step 11.
At the very point when the cork is about to surface, use your hand to pull the cork out.

If there are any 101’s, tips or techniques you would like us to cover, let us know. You can email your suggestions to co@acqtaste.com.

Words by Chuck Ortiz
Photography by Greg Washington