How to open a bottle of wine

There are many different kinds of corkscrews, however my favorite is still the traditional waiter's corkscrew:



The traditional waiter’s corkscrew has four components:

1) The main body, usually slightly curved to fit better to the palm of the hand.
2) A fold-away foil cutter blade.
3) A screw
4) A hinged lever, to provide leverage so the cork can be pulled up and removed.

To open a wine bottle, we must first use the blade to cut-off the foil around the top of the bottle. Be careful to remove enough foil (about ½” from the top) so that the wine doesn’t come in contact with the foil when the wine is poured.

Next, insert the tip of the screw at the center of the cork’s surface and insert the rest of the screw by slowly turning clockwise. Don’t introduce the screw all the way through the cork to avoid cork particles falling in the wine.

Finally, rest the small hook in the lever on the tip of the bottle to create a pivot point and pull out the cork.

The following video shows how to use a waiter’s corkscrew to open a bottle of wine: