No Corkscrew? No Worries. Just Use a Tree

Ever been stuck without a corkscrew when you needed to open a bottle of wine? It happens to all of us. In fact, that was one of the challenges faced by Myles, Ian and myself when we all first met.

We solved the problem with the blade of a Swiss Army knife (I got that knife when I was 13, so it had no corkscrew). Ah, Paris.

Of the five techniques below, the shoe technique is perhaps the most spectacular. It indeed works, but takes a little longer than you may expect.

The methods for opening a bottle of wine without a corkscrew:

1. With a shoe
2. With a tree
3. With a screw, screwdriver and hammer
4. With a pen and apron
5. With a knife

Looks like a few things are key here. One, you have to remove the foil from the top of the bottle first. Two, pick a shoe with a thick sole, and determine the best way to maintain a solid grip on the bottle and the shoe simoultaneously. Three, try and stop before the cork comes completely out so you don’t spill any wine.

via The Daily Meal

The page above doesn’t have any video footage for the listed methods, so I’m taking up the slack.

Open a wine bottle with a shoe:

Open a wine bottle with a tree (if you don’t even have shoes with you: actually quite conceivable):

Open a wine bottle with a screw, screwdriver and hammer:

Open a wine bottle with a pen and apron (This is like a Criss Angel trick):

Open a wine bottle with a chef’s knife:
Wait, it breaks the bottle? Okay, then, let’s just use a regular knife: