Are these gadgets easier and more reliable than traditional corkscrews? Over 200 bottles of wine later, we have an answer.
Published June 16, 2023.
Electric wine openers are designed to be easier and faster than waiter’s corkscrews and traditional twist wine openers. The best models are simple to operate, speedy, and easily remove synthetic and natural corks. Our top pick is the Secura Electric Wine Opener, which not only operates quickly and quietly but also has a lightweight and sleek design that’s comfortable to hold.
Opening bottles of wine with a waiter’s corkscrew or twist corkscrew can be irksome and intimidating. Electric wine openers promise to banish broken corks and take the guesswork out of opening wine.
There are two main types of electric wine opener on the market: manual start and automatic start. Manual models have buttons to operate the worm and release the cork. Automatic openers don’t have buttons and are activated once pressure is applied to the worm. These devices also automatically release the cork once it has been removed from the bottle. There are also a few hybrid models that have an automatic start and a manual cork release.
We found that all electric wine openers turn and wobble a little while in use but some more than others. They mainly wobble when first entering the cork and twist midway through the process of opening a bottle of wine. If you’re interested in an electric wine opener because you have difficulty maneuvering traditional corkscrews, it’s important to note that these models still require some hand strength. We often had to use two hands on the wobbliest models to avoid them spinning out of control.
Regardless of style, electric wine openers essentially work the same way. Once the user places the opener over the neck of a wine bottle, they press a button or apply pressure, and the worm pierces the cork. After the worm has twisted through the entire length of the cork, it reverses direction and pulls the cork from the bottle. Once this cycle is complete, the device stops. Then the user presses another button (usually the top one) to activate the worm and release the cork from the opener, or the device will release it automatically.
The models we tested have rechargeable batteries. Some sit on charging docks, while others plug directly into an electrical outlet via a cord. We tested our lineup by opening wine bottles with both synthetic corks which can be slippery and hard to penetrate and natural corks. Read on to find out how we chose our favorite model.
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Sawyer is an assistant digital editor for ATK Reviews. She enjoys baking, collecting Prince records, and all things Toni Morrison.