Few situations are more frustrating than trying to open a container and not having the right tools. This is happening less and less with cans and jars of preserves, as manufacturers try to make it easy for the consumer, but with a bottle of wine no choice but to resort to corkscrew. What if it does not appear or has broken? Unless we have a Swiss Army Knife with the aforementioned accessory, there is alternative methods to open the wine.
It is such a basic utensil that it seems that we take for granted that there is at least one in each house, lost in a drawer. But if we don’t usually drink regularly -always with due moderation-, we are in someone else’s house or on the run In some vacation homes, we might not have even the most basic corkscrew on hand. It is also the typical object that is lost in a move, that disappears any day by magic, or that breaks without warning.
Luckily today the answer to all ills is on the networks, and almost certainly someone will have recorded a video with the solution to any daily problem that may arise. Running out of corkscrew It is more common than it seems, and there are alternatives for all tastes.
Tricks to uncork wine when you don’t have a corkscrew
Screwdriver, screw and hammer. Insert a screw, ideally very long, with the help of a screwdriver, right in the center of the cork, until leaving a couple of centimeters free above the stopper. Now place the back of a claw hammer (the “claws”) around the protruding screw, and gently lift the tool to extract the cork. If you don’t have a hammer, you can remove the screw with pliers.
screw hooks. If you have at hand a screw that ends in a circular hook, long enough, it will be even easier. Insert it in the same way, completely if necessary, leaving the hook on the plug. Then insert a pen or similar object into the hook and pull to cork.
With a knife. Choose a knife in good quality condition, table but with a sharp point and serrated (meat). Carefully insert the tip into the center of the cork several inches, and start turning it. If it exerts a lot of resistance, help yourself by first turning the bottle and holding the knife steady, until the cork begins to move in the mouth of the bottle. Keep turning the knife now pulling gently upwards, as if making a thread, so that the cap rises.
Banging the bottle against the wall. You have to be very careful, but it is a method that works. This can be done by wrapping the bottle in dish towels or a small towel, or by placing it inside a thick, flat-soled shoe. Once ready, simply bang the bottom of the shoe or wrapped bottle firmly against a wall several times; the plug will come out little by little. It can also be done by hitting the bottle against a chair, between our legs. It is best to remove it by hand when it is almost ready, or you will lose the wine.
with a torch. If you have a decent-powered kitchen torch, simply light the flame and aim it directly at the neck of the bottle, aiming at the base of the cork through the glass. In theory, when heated, the plug will come out on its own. Be careful, because it can jump with force.
metal hanger. Actually any metal wire thick enough to be able to pull the plug could do. The idea is to use the hook of a metal hanger to make it a narrow cylindrical shape, insert it into the bottle without going through the cap, sliding it from the side, and pull it up once the end has completely lowered, to remove the cork. The most crafty can try to give it the shape of a corkscrew, bending the wire in a spiral.
- Straining the plug. The easiest and safest method, although not recommended with high-end wines, is to insert the stopper into the bottle. We don’t want to break the cork, so we can’t use a sharp or very fine object; the best is the handle of a wooden spoon or similar. Press firmly, gently, to lower the cap until the mouth is completely free. Obviously, it is advisable to serve the wine immediately and use up the bottle that evening.
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And one last piece of advice: in the event that with any of these systems, or using a normal corkscrew, you end up breaking the stopper and fragments of cork fall into the wine, serve it by sifting it with a coffee or tea filter. With an ordinary kitchen strainer not all impurities are always cleaned.
If you have leftovers and there is still a cork in the bottle, so as not to waste it, you can always use it to cook, for example a delicious red wine panna cotta served with red berries, or a chicken stew. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Photos | unsplash
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