If the cork is too far down to get a good, slanted angle, try drilling vertically along the edge of the cork (close to the neck of the bottle). If you have a winged corkscrew, it’s difficult to drill at an angle. Just go through the middle again.
If the cork doesn’t come out all the way, gently pull and twist your corkscrew to fully dislodge it. If the cork comes apart or falls into the bottle, don’t worry! Just filter your wine through a sieve, cheese cloth, or even a coffee filter before drinking.
For a good pull, insert the screw about 0. 5 inches (1. 3 cm) deep into the cork. Try to leave at least half of the screw exposed above the cork to avoid going too deep. Avoid screwing all the way through past the bottom of the cork. [6] X Research source
Alternatively, grip the screw with a pair of pliers instead of using a hammer.
If leveraging the hammer doesn’t work or it looks like the cork may break, pull straight upward instead. [9] X Research source If you’re using pliers, pull the screw straight up. It might be too awkward to try and leverage the side of the plier handles against the bottle. If the hammer or pliers don’t get the cork out all the way, grab the screw or the cork with your fingers and pull the cork the rest of the way out.
Put on a pair of thick gloves to protect your hands. This is a potentially dangerous method. Only do it if you need to open the wine without a corkscrew.
Hold the neck of the bottle firmly with your other hand while you slide the knife into the cork. Make sure not to push the knife into the center of the cork. You’ll get bigger and more powerful turns out of it when it’s close to the edge.
Turn slowly slowly and carefully to avoid injury (or breaking the cork even more). If you’re hesitant about gripping the blade, use the handle instead. You may not get as strong of a pull, though.
Be super careful not to cut yourself! If you don’t finish the whole bottle of wine in one sitting, put a new stopper in the bottle or pour the remainder into a container with a lid for storage.
This is the potentially messiest and least effective method. Use this as a last resort or if you have zero other tools on hand, like a knife or corkscrew.
If you’re indoors, lay a towel down in case wine spills onto the floor (if possible, do this against an outside wall or a tree so there’s no cleanup). Keep your eye on the cork—if you do one too many hits, the cork will shoot out and foamy wine will spray all over. [20] X Research source
Clearing the top of the cork means you’ll have fewer cork bits floating in your wine after you push the cork into the bottle.
At this point, you can pour and serve the wine from the bottle if you wish. Just scoop any cork bits out of the wine glass with a spoon before serving. If you have a cork retriever tool, slide the prongs into the bottle and grip the main piece of the cork vertically. Pull the cork up and out. [24] X Research source
Alternatively, wrap the cloth or filter around the neck of the wine bottle so it covers the opening and secure with a rubber band. If you don’t have a cheesecloth or coffee filter, hold a fine kitchen sieve or colander in place over the container opening instead. If you have a bottletop filter, just insert it into the neck of the bottle instead. It will hold back the cork bits while you pour directly from the bottle. [26] X Research source
Serve directly from the new container and enjoy! If you don’t finish the bottle, put a lid or stopper on the container if you have one that fits (or pour the wine into a different container with a lid to store it). Some people pour the wine back into the bottle once all the cork debris is out. Grab a new stopper if you do this since the cork is no more.
