OXO Corkscrew

Product Information

Lever corkscrew: A wine opener with a lever on one side. To use it, insert the screw, then squeeze the bottom of the opener and pull the lever upwards to remove the cork. Lever-style corkscrews are another smart alternative to traditional wine keys for wine drinkers who just prefer an easier means of opening a bottle of wine. This type of tool is generally made up of two long clamps that secure around the base of a bottle’s mouth, with the corkscrew attached to a single lever that drives the screw downward into the cork at the ideal angle.

While pros love it, it does require a bit of a learning curve. Consider testing out a Durand with low-stakes bottles to get the hang of it (and read the instructions carefully, too). Wine collectors with high-end cellars swear by this corkscrew. The compact cork (cute!) carrying case helps protect the legs from bending or snapping. It's definitely not the least expensive option among this selection, but if you have an extensive wine cellar and don't ever want to gamble on breaking a cork, this is the go-to special tool. A wine key is that other tool that is just so essential to us as bartenders,” says Rochelle Tougas, general manager of FM Kitchen & Bar in Houston. “This is my favorite wine key I’ve ever owned." Between writing about wine for the past seven years and being half French, Céline Bossart has opened more bottles than she can count. Her preferred corkscrew is a classic waiter’s friend, and she may or may not have taken Wynkoop’s lead in buying a mixed bulk bag from the TSA. Double-hinged wine keys and lever openers are simple to use but may be difficult for some with arthritis or similar concerns. An electric wine opener does most of the work, so it might be an easier option.This product is OXO, so as you can expect the craftsmanship is absolutely bulletproof. The rubber handle is great, the metal is solid. Feels heavy and strong in your hand. If it worked well, I would give it 5 stars, and believe me I wanted it to work. I really don't trust the rabbit type openers and I wanted to believe that the OXO waiter's corkscrew would be a more classic addition to my kitchen than the the OXO corkpull. Fold the opener down and place the lower of the double-jointed metal arms on the edge of the bottle. Use that leverage to get the cork about halfway out of the bottle. It depends a bit on the corkscrew, but for a simple wine key (sometimes called a waiter’s corkscrew), the process is as follows: There isn't an easy answer to this per se, but you're more likely to find corks in older vintages of wine. But that being said, just because a wine has a screw cap, it doesn't mean it's poor quality and that you should steer clear of purchasing it. There are plenty of great wines being made with screw caps. Featuring stainless steel construction and a comfortable, textured grip, the Rabbit Vertical Lever Corkscrew makes removing corks easy with a single pulling motion.

I will be the first to admit that I feel there are only two flaws with this cork screw. However, in my defense, I only need this corkscrew to perform two tasks (cutting the wine wrapper and pulling out the cork). Unfortunately, both of which this corkscrew does not do very well. Therefore it gets a score of 0/2.Some models include additional bells and whistles like foil cutters, pour spouts, vacuum stoppers and advanced wine preservation systems. In the manual wine corkscrew category, for example, there are single-lever as well as double-lever models, the latter commonly referred to as the classic waiter’s friend. As rechargeable batteries have made their way into tools in every category, the electric wine opener has become much more popular in recent years, with brands like Oster and Ozeri introducing more luxe models, which include charging stations, easy-to-read LED buttons and cordless functionality. To ensure consistency in our testing, we used a case of white wines, in identical 750-milliliter glass bottles with natural corks. Over the course of one week of testing, we paired each bottle of wine with one wine opener, assessing the below factors.

If you’re seasoned at swinging open bottles, the Pulltap Professional Corkscrew is bar none. Affordable, high-functioning, and built to last, it’s a workhorse option for every occasion. If you want an option with a bit more pizzazz, BarVivo’s Professional Corkscrew with a wood handle adds elegance to a standard waiter’s key. Slim in profile and easier to transport, the Le Creuset Waiter’s Friend certainly does the job, but we found the OXO model to work just a bit more efficiently and comfortably. Center the squiqqly metal part (sometimes called the “worm”) atop the cork, and then screw it in until it’s about 3/4 of the way inside the cork. Ah-So opener: A wine opener with one long prong and one shorter prong. It's used to remove delicate or old corks. To use it, wiggle the long prong in between the cork and bottle. Then wiggle the shorter prong in, and twist the handle slowly to remove the cork.

Looking to get the party started? Check out our guide to the best corkscrews

You don't need something fancy to open a bottle of wine. Sommeliers, winemakers, and beverage directors all told us that a double-hinged wine key (also known as a waiter's corkscrew) is the best kind of wine opener. It provides excellent leverage and also comes with a small blade to cut the foil off your bottle. "The classic double-hinged waiter's corkscrew is the gold standard that people should master. It is probably one of the most common types in the wine world," said Peter Mondavi, Jr., co-proprietor of Charles Krug Winery in Napa Valley. As someone who drinks wine very regularly, I've tried many different types and versions of corkscrews. While the rabbit and wing styles are easy, they are, in my opinion, way too bulky to store and carry to be worth buying. Instead of completely removing the cork, the Coravin wine system is outfitted with a Teflon-coated wine needle that sails through the cork and allows you to remove a glass of wine at a time (without airing out the whole bottle). “The system helps me cherish special bottles of wine for a really long time, seeing how they change and evolve," says Acheson. Who is it for? People who have difficulty with twisting motions, but are also concerned about their environmental impact. The chunky lever-style corkscrew is the fastest way to open a bottle of wine, but that ease comes at a price: It's much larger than the other corkscrew styles, eating up significantly more drawer or counter space.

Electric opener: A wine opener that's usually rechargeable. It inserts the screw and removes the cork for you. Typically, it's operated with simple up and down buttons.All our experts recommend the double-hinged wine key. "You basically insert the screw into the cork, then twist and use the bottle as a leverage point to remove the cork" in one piece, said Alison Rodriguez, a winemaker for The Hess Collection. Electric wine openers take the guesswork out of opening a nicer bottle of wine. If you’re a collector or you’re gifting a wine collector, a more expensive yet reliable electric wine opener is the best option. While electric openers require a charge, a simple press of a button is all that’s required physically to uncork a nicer bottle you’ve been saving. If you’re looking for a slightly smoother and simpler experience, a lever-style wine opener gives you more leverage and requires less hand and arm strength to use. Thus, a lever-style opener might suit someone who is starting to collect wine and open more than two bottles per week, or it might appeal to the infrequent wine drinker who doesn’t open bottles often and hasn’t developed the muscle memory to use a waiter’s friend accurately. A lever-style device does take a bit more storage space, so you’d want to factor that in, but it’s always ready to go, unlike an electric wine opener. For most, a corkscrew made primarily from stainless steel is the best way to go. It’s sturdy, won’t rust, and has a nice shine to it. Many corkscrew do have a grippy silicone or rubber exterior. This can be extremely helpful during the extraction process, especially if your hands are a bit wet. But make sure to put those corkscrews away after opening the bottle since the material can easily collect dust and dander. No matter what material you chose, it's also good practice to hand-wash your corkscrew, especially after a party. As the Ozeri owner’s manual indicates, all you need to do is position the opener directly above the bottle to make sure it’s centered on the cork. From there all we had to do was hit the LED-lit blue “down” button to activate the opening process and let this electric wine opener do its thing.