Life hack: wine without a corkscrew

Nightmare: craving a glass of wine and discovering you don’t have a corkscrew at hand. There isn’t a corkscrew anywhere to be found, and you’ve never wished for a screw cap more. Don’t stress, we know what to do. 

There are several ways to get the job done. Some easier than others. For example, you can try pushing the cork into the bottle instead of pulling it out. Do this with a blunt object, such as a ballpoint pen or a marker. The downside is that bits of cork will probably end up in your wine—yuck. Also be careful: the wine may spray, so don’t point it at yourself or anyone else.

Another option is to imitate a corkscrew. You can do this with various sharp objects. Try prying the cork out of the bottle with a screwdriver, scissors, a coat hanger or a paper clip. However, see this option as a last resort, because there’s a good chance you’ll ruin the taste of the wine with bits of cork.

Grab a shoe

Both methods above work fine, but the next one is our favorite. The great thing about it is that you can always use it. All you need is a shoe and a hard vertical object (for example, a wall, a tree or a door). Watch and learn…