Top Wine Corkscrews | Which Ones Work the Best

Our Recommendations for Wine Corkscrews

1. Lever Style - Rabbit Corkscrew
2. Waiter Corkscrew
3. Twisting Pull Corkscrew
4. Two-Pronged Corkscrew
5. Winged Corkscrew
6. Air Pump Corkscrew

Descriptions of each corkscrew type & advantages, disadvantages

Lever style Corkscrew

There are several of these on the market ranging in price from $30 to $150. You simply clamp the opener on the bottle and let the levers do all the work.
Advantages: Dependable, efficient, and takes little strength to use. You can’t go wrong opening a bottle with the lever style.
Disadvantage: It takes up more room that the other types of corkscrews. They are more expensive then other types of corkscrews.

Metrokane Rabbit Wine Opener Tool Kit, Silver

Waiter's Corkscrew

This is the corkscrew of choice for the waiter. It is slim and comfortable to carry in one’s pocket. The worm (screw) and the small knife are tucked safely away. The servers can put it into their pocket or apron without fear of getting poked.
Advantage: Slim, contains knife to remove foil on bottle. It’s a little tricky at first to use, but once mastered, it’s fast and efficient. If you become skillful at using one of these, you have that professional look about you.
Disadvantage: Requires practice to become proficient at using. Cheaper models don’t work as well. The inexpensive types may have a dull knife and the worm may bend if the proper angle and leverage are incorrectly applied.
We recommend that you place a waiter’s corkscrew in the glove compartment of your car. You never know when you might need it.

The Twisting Pull Cork

This corkscrew has a circular rim that you place over the lip of the bottle. This centers the worm over the cork. You then begin twisting the handle on the corkscrew. When the worm has been twisted into the cork, the corkscrew is braced against the bottle and the cork begins to emerge from the bottle as you twist.
Advantage: Very reliable and fairly inexpensive. Tip: The worm is the most important part of this corkscrew. Cheap models are likely to mess up a cork.
Disadvantage: Nothing significant, except for those who have pain in the wrist and elbow joints. These corkscrews require continuous turning.

Winged Corkscrews

These corkscrew also have a circular rim that is placed over the lip of the bottle. As you turn the corkscrew the wings lift higher and higher. When you think you have drilled the worm into the corkscrew far enough, grasp the wings and slowly bring them toward the bottle. This action causes the cork to pull out of the bottle.
Advantages: Usually reliable unless the worm is not far enough into the cork. Cost is reasonable.
Disadvantages: If the worm goes past the bottom of the cork, cork fragments get into the wine. Cheap models with weak worms will not lift the cork out of the bottle

Two-pronged or Ah So type

These are not exactly corkscrews because they do not have a worm that you screw into the cork. Instead, you have two slim metal prongs that you enter into opposite sides of the cork in the bottle. One prong is a little longer than the other and that is the side you enter into the bottle first. You rock the device back and forth slightly until the prongs are fully entered. Then you gently pull up with a little twist, or rocking motion.
Advantage: It’s slim. It puts no hole into the cork and therefore no cork fragments fall into the wine. This device works well with an aged bottle of wine whose cork has deteriorated.
Disadvantage: Somewhat hard to use. Must be used with care. If done incorrectly, you can possibly damage the prongs by bending them out of shape.

Air Pump Corkscrew

This works on the principle of forcing air between the space in the bottle of wine between the cork and the wine. As you pump the device, air pressure forces the cork out of the bottle.
Advantages: None we can think of.
Disadvantages: Requires pumping action to force air. Some wine experts believe that forcing air into the wine bottle is not good for the wine.

Many wineries have adopted screw tops or screw caps for bottles of wine that do not require aging. For those wine bottles you obviously don't need a corkscrew. Watch this video on how to properly open a bottle of wine with a screw top.