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See why.Wine Openers (Waiter's Corkscrews)
We uncorked the mystery of what goes into a durable and dependable wine opener.
Published Mar. 1, 2014. Appears in Cook's Illustrated March/April 2014, America's Test Kitchen TV Season 16: Why Not Add Wine?
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What You Need To Know
Until recently, we’d been uncorking bottles of wine with the Oggi Nautilus Corkscrew, a lever-style model that operates like a pump and makes the task effortless, even for novices. But when we noticed that this corkscrew wasn’t holding up—some copies in the test kitchen cracked even after moderate use—we decided to seek out a new, more durable favorite. Those criteria helped us narrow our focus to the type of corkscrew that wine professionals use day in and day out: the “waiter’s friend,” an ungimmicky style that is simple to use once you master the technique and slim enough to stow in a kitchen drawer. We rounded up five openers in a surprisingly broad price range: from about $13 all the way up to almost $230, the latter evidence that corkscrew manufacturers are trying to remarket this historically cheap tool as not just handy but also supremely engineered.
Fifteen cases of wine later, it was clear that more money didn’t buy a better opener. Two models fetching triple-digit prices lacked hinges on their fulcrum—the metal arm that swings out from the body and grips the lip of the bottle—which limited their leverage. The last-place model also had a sloped (instead of notched) ledge, so it constantly slipped off the bottle. And despite being made from surgical-grade stainless steel, the worm on another model was not attached well; it loosened slightly by the end of testing.
More user-friendly were the two corkscrews that featured ergonomically curved bodies and hinged fulcrums that made easy work of pulling the cork. Either is a solid addition to a bar collection, but what makes our winner worth the extra $25 is its Teflon-coated worm, which considerably reduced friction as we twisted.
Everything We Tested
Recommended
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
Its curved chrome body was easy to grip, its hinged fulcrum provided great leverage, and its parts were sturdy and opened and closed smoothly without snapping at our fingers. But what made this mid-priced corkscrew a keeper is its Teflon-coated worm, which produced zero friction going into the cork—and stayed put when we were popping it out.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
This bargain opener’s hinged steel fulcrum rested firmly on the lip of the bottle for plenty of leverage, though its sharp edge scraped the cork if we didn’t pull it straight up. We also liked its grippy, sturdy rubber and plastic body, and its relatively thin, short grooved worm made it easy to twist into the cork.
Recommended with reservations
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
Though it got the job done, this handsome model was no beginner’s corkscrew—and certainly wasn’t worth its premium ticket price. For some testers, the small ledge on its fulcrum perched precariously on the bottle’s lip, and without a hinge its fulcrum offered minimal leverage.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 2.5 stars out of 3.
We liked this model’s pebbled steel body (easy to grip) and solid, comfortable heft, but its perks ended there and hardly justified its sky-high price. Despite being made of surgical-grade stainless steel, the worm on this model was not attached well; it loosened slightly by the end of testing (at least this premium brand offers a lifetime guarantee). Plus, it lacked a hinge on the fulcrum for extra leverage.
Not Recommended
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 2 stars out of 3.
We struggled to twist this pricey model’s thick steel worm into every cork we tried. Once we did, pulling out the cork was hard because the fulcrum’s ledge is sloped and lacks a notch, causing it to slip off the top of the bottle. Some testers also complained that its thick body felt heavy and clunky.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
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