How do you use a corkscrew?

“Using a corkscrew varies on the type of corkscrew that you are using, but the general principle is simple. You drill a worm into the center of the cork and use a lever as a fulcrum to gain leverage to pull that cork out of the bottle,” Kulaga says.

What should you do if the cork breaks off on the corkscrew?

Kulaga recommends trying to take out the broken half and reinserting the corkscrew “dead center” before gently pulling upwards with slow and steady pressure to extract the remainder of the cork.

What are the different types of corkscrews?

“ Corkscrews (and wine openers) come in many shapes and sizes,” says Kulaga. “The three most classic options are the classic wine key or waiter’s/butler’s friend, an ‘ah-so’ [pronged corkscrew], and recently the Durand, which combines elements of both the ‘ah-so’ and the wine key.”

What's the best style of corkscrew for beginners?

Beginners should look into a good ‘two-step’ wine key, Kulaga says. “It is the easiest way to become confident with opening a good bottle of wine.”

Which corkscrew is easiest to use?

“A classic, high-quality wine key is the easiest and best style of corkscrew to use. From beginners to seasoned wine professionals everyone should have one in their pocket!” Kulaga says.

6 Best Corkscrews, Tested & Reviewed

Opening a bottle of wine can be a tricky task for those who don’t do it often or aren’t professionally trained. That’s why becoming a sommelier includes training on how to properly use a corkscrew in addition to how to store wine, select the right glassware, and more. Corkscrews may seem simple, but finding the right one and using it properly makes opening up a bottle of wine seamless — no broken cork or sloppily cut foil when pouring.

Finding and properly using the best corkscrew sets the stage for peak enjoyment of your favorite wine club wines and bottles. We tested more than a dozen corkscrews and connected with sommeliers and beverage directors to get the inside scoop on how to properly use our expert-selected picks. The ever-steady Pulltap's Professional Double-Hinged Waiter's Corkscrew landed best overall for its affordability, simplicity, and reliable functionality. Read on for our other top picks.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Pulltap’s Professional Waiter’s Corkscrew at Amazon

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Best Value:

True corkscrew at Amazon

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Best Splurge:

Laguiole En Aubrac Sommelier Waiter's Corkscrew at Amazon

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Best Winged:

Rabbit Wing Corkscrew at Amazon

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Best Electric:

Secura Stainless Steel Electric Wine Opener at Amazon

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Best Lever:

Rabbit Wine Corkscrew at Amazon

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Amazon

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Pros: This Pulltap corkscrew has a serrated knife for cutting the foil and a tight and controlled hinge for easy opening.

Cons: No instructions were included in the package, so prior knowledge of opening a bottle of wine is needed — or a how-to video.

The Pulltap Professional Double-Hinged Waiter’s Corkscrew is classic and functional. Our testers agree that it is easy to use and feels very comfortable in the hand. This style is most often recommended and used by sommeliers and received the highest rating from our expert testers. It’s lightweight but sturdy and built well with a tight and controlled hinge that makes uncorking bottles a breeze. Given its simplicity and affordability, you can’t go wrong with this pick. This necessary wine tool pairs well with one of our favorite wine stoppers once you’ve got the bottle open.

Price at time of publish: $10

Material: Stainless steel
Dimensions: 7.3 x 1.5 x 0.9 inches
Weight: .04 pounds

Pulltap’s Professional Waiter’s Corkscrew — Food & Wine / Lucy Simon

Pulltapâs Professional Double-Hinged Waiterâs Corkscrew

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Pros: The True TruTap corkscrew is lightweight and comfortable, and it offers a seamless design that works every time.

Cons: The lightweight nature of this corkscrew may not be everyone’s aesthetic.

This is another double-hinged option that came in close second due to its classic look, accessibility, and great value for its excellent form and function. Our testers appreciate the chic, all-black look of this corkscrew — although, for those more color-inclined, this brand offers a rainbow of choices. It fits comfortably in the hand with its lightweight construction. Testers note that it only takes once around the bottleneck with the convenient serrated knife to cut the foil. Keep this handy the next time you’re cooking with wine and need to pop open a bottle quickly.

Price at time of publish: $8

Material: Stainless steel
Dimensions: 4.75 x 1 x 0.5 inches
Weight: .14 pounds

True TrueTap Double Hinged Waiter’s Corkscrew — Food & Wine / Lucy Simon

Laguiole En Aubrac Sommelier Waiter's Corkscrew

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Pros: This is a beautiful corkscrew with an attractive wood finish that makes it more than adequate for gifting to wine connoisseurs.

Cons: Our testers indicate that the hinges are a bit tight when opening and that the heaviness makes it more cumbersome to operate.

For those who have a fancy wine collection and like to show off when opening bottles, this classy corkscrew is a must-have. With its heavy, weighted design and beautiful wood finish, it’s aesthetically pleasing and feels nice in the hand. Our testers did explain that the heavy, larger-scale style made it more challenging to use for those with smaller hands. With that said, the form and function are equally as good as the other options on this list — making this the right choice for those who are looking to splurge on something special. It’s a beautiful tool to show off the next time you are cooking something like short ribs braised in red wine and wish to offer a knockout pairing with a touch of elegance upon opening.

Price at time of publish: $160

Material: Stainless steel
Dimensions: 4.7 x 0.5 x 1.1 inches
Weight: 10.5 ounces

Laguiole En Aubrac Sommelier Waiter's Corkscrew is used to open a wine bottle — Food & Wine / Lucy Simon

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Pros: The winged style makes this corkscrew easy to use and offers smooth extraction of the cork.

Cons: This corkscrew does not have a foil cutter, so unless removing the foil with another tool before uncorking, this corkscrew leaves an unclean foil if the cork is pulled directly through the foil.

While the Rabbit Winged Corkscrew is a larger style than the waiter’s friend corkscrew, it offers similar ease of use. The screw is sharp and penetrates both natural and synthetic cork easily, and the winged arms make this style a favorite of many. Our testers say that the hinge is very smooth when flexing the arms down during extraction. While the functionality is high, some testers describe it as too bulky for small, crowded kitchen drawers.

Price at time of publish: $15

Material: Plastic and stainless steel
Dimensions: 8 x 3.3 x 1 inches
Weight: 12 ounces

Rabbit Wing Corkscrew displayed on wooden surface — Food & Wine / Siobhan Wallace

Secura Stainless Steel Electric Wine Opener

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Pros: Experts agree that this electric corkscrew is easy to use and opens bottles very quickly.

Cons: This electric corkscrew needs to be plugged in for eight hours to fully charge.

We all have that one friend who has the latest cooking gadgets and prefers to use electric kitchen tools over manual ones for even the simplest of tasks. The Secure Stainless Steel Electra Wine Opener is made for these friends with its uncomplicated electric function. Many of our testers indicate that is the easiest corkscrew to use, as long as you have the bottle placed on a level surface. It’s effortless to hold and seamlessly extracts the cork with a push of a button. It’s also a sure bet for opening older bottles of wine with stubborn corks. One thing to note: Because it comes with a charging base and cord and is much larger than a traditional waiter’s friend corkscrew, you will need a good place to store all the components.

Price at time of publish: $30

Material: Stainless steel
Dimensions: 12 x 2.7 x 7.5 inches
Weight: 1.2 pounds

Person using the Secura Stainless Steel Electric Wine Opener to open a bottle of wine — Food & Wine / Prairie Rose Free

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Pros: Our experts love the ergonomic grip of this modern corkscrew and the minimal force required to uncork a bottle of wine.

Cons: This corkscrew is larger than others and does not come with a stand or bag to keep all the extra parts in one place.

This modern corkscrew functions with a one-two punch mechanism: Lock the opener onto the bottleneck and then pull the handle. Due to its non-traditional style, it might be confusing which way the levers are supposed to face upon first use — but once you figure it out, it’s very intuitive and easy to use. Our experts like the sleek look, the comfortable silicone grip, and the bonus of the foil cutter for use before uncorking the bottle. Because of its ergonomic grip and design that doesn’t require a ton of force to operate, it’s a logical option for anyone who has joint issues, arthritis, or generally struggles to open a bottle of wine.

Price at time of publish: $55

Material: Metal and silicone
Dimensions: 7.25 x 2.03 x 5.75 inches
Weight: 1 pound

Rabbit Wine Corkscrew with Foil Cutter displayed on wooden surface — Food & Wine / Danielle St. Pierre

Our Favorite

Our Best Overall pick, the $10 Pulltap’s Professional Double-Hinged Waiter’s Corkscrew, offers fantastic value for the quality of craftsmanship, simplicity in function, and overall sturdy form. It’s practical for wine enthusiasts of all levels and will remain a dependable corkscrew in your wine-tool collection for years to come. Adding this corkscrew to your collection also comes with the added security of being favored and recommended by sommeliers and beverage directors around the country.

The Tests

Our expert testers looked for the form, function, durability of components, and features of each corkscrew when testing them. The full testing process included opening bottles of wine by cutting the foil, uncorking, and removing the cork. Our selections are based on ease of use, comfortability, performance, and value.

Factors to Consider

Type

Francis Kulaga, Certified Sommelier and General Manager & Beverage Director at Birch & Rye in San Francisco, says the most classic corkscrew options are the waiter’s friend style, an ‘ah-so’ two-prong corkscrew, and the Durand, which is a brand that has conveniently combined the two styles into one. Each of these three styles is manual but simple enough to use with some practice. For those looking for something more effortless, an electric corkscrew is a better choice — and for that, look to the Secura Stainless Steel Electric Wine Opener.

Material

Generally speaking, classic corkscrews are made of stainless steel. While some are made from plastic, those will break sooner than their stainless steel counterparts. Electric or fancier models are usually a combination of the two materials. We recommend stainless steel or a hybrid for longevity.

Price

Most corkscrews are very affordable, with higher price points for the electric options and some high-end classic styles that are heavier construction. For an everyday corkscrew, there’s no need to break the bank. But for those looking to gift a corkscrew, the Laguiole en Aubrac Waiter’s Corkscrew is a welcome choice because of its weight and elegant style.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you use a corkscrew?

“Using a corkscrew varies on the type of corkscrew that you are using, but the general principle is simple. You drill a worm into the center of the cork and use a lever as a fulcrum to gain leverage to pull that cork out of the bottle,” Kulaga says.
What should you do if the cork breaks off on the corkscrew?

Kulaga recommends trying to take out the broken half and reinserting the corkscrew “dead center” before gently pulling upwards with slow and steady pressure to extract the remainder of the cork.
What are the different types of corkscrews?

“Corkscrews (and wine openers) come in many shapes and sizes,” says Kulaga. “The three most classic options are the classic wine key or waiter’s/butler’s friend, an ‘ah-so’ [pronged corkscrew], and recently the Durand, which combines elements of both the ‘ah-so’ and the wine key.”
What's the best style of corkscrew for beginners?

Beginners should look into a good ‘two-step’ wine key, Kulaga says. “It is the easiest way to become confident with opening a good bottle of wine.”
Which corkscrew is easiest to use?

“A classic, high-quality wine key is the easiest and best style of corkscrew to use. From beginners to seasoned wine professionals everyone should have one in their pocket!” Kulaga says.

What Didn't Make the List

Our Expertise

Years of tasting and writing about food, wine, and spirits guide Melissa Vogt's research. As a tourist, Vogt seeks out the very best in local food and drink, and she's well acquainted with where to find good libations and eats in her hometown of Santa Rosa, Calif. Read more of her writing on her website and in Napa Valley Life, Wine Country This Month, and Medium.

As part of her research, Melissa connected with sommeliers and beverage directors around the country. The expertise of Francis Kulaga, Certified Sommelier and General Manager & Beverage Director at Birch & Rye in San Francisco, helped inform her research.