Yes, You Can Actually Open a Wine Bottle Without a Cork Opener. Try These Tricks.

What better way to cap off an impromptu beach trip or picnic in the park than with a glass of wine? With a bevy of supermarkets, wine shops, and delivery apps at your disposal, procuring a bottle on a whim is easy. The hard part, however, is opening it without a traditional cork opener. Sure, you could opt for a twist-off cap, but anyone who is craving a specific vineyard or vintage might be at a loss.

Well, until now that is.

Look, if you’re going to enjoy a bottle of vino, the pros want you to open it correctly. That said, when push comes to shove, even the most by-the-book beverage directors have found creative ways to uncork a bottle. “I’m not officially endorsing any of this, but in moments of true desperation, I have absolutely opened a bottle of wine with a pair of scissors,” says Jules Bandy, general manager and beverage director at Hayward in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. “Was it elegant? Absolutely not. Was it effective? Shockingly, yes.”

To help, they’re sharing their easy tips for uncorking on the fly.

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Be Careful About Vintage

If you ask Edward Knight, general manager of Decant in Medford, Oregon, there’s no right way to enjoy wine. That said, if you’re using unconventional methods to uncork a bottle, you might want to think twice about selecting an older vintage. “I would not try any of this with an older or more delicate bottle,” says Bandy. “If the cork is fragile, dry, or likely to crumble, these methods may make things worse.”

Plus, Knight says a spontaneous soiree isn’t the right atmosphere for a time-honored blend. “I’d think the consumption of an older bottle is a little less whimsical and would happen at a house or restaurant so that it could be enjoyed with a nice meal,” he says.

Stay Clear of (Ultra) Sharp Objects

It might look cool to decapitate a champagne bottle with a saber, Knight says leave it to the professionals. “Joking aside, I think that methods that use an excessive amount of force should be avoided,” Knight explains. “It could be easy to break the bottle resulting in an injury or worse, lost wine.” Instead, use a less-sharp object such as a pair of scissors. “You wedge one blade as far into the cork as possible, then slowly twist and pull at the same time,” recommends Bandy. “Go slowly, and stop if the cork starts to crumble, split, or sink into the bottle.”

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Turn Up the Heat

Got a light? Well, it could be your secret to uncorking your wine. Knight likes to place the lighter at the neck of the wine bottle, where there’s a small air pocket between the bottom of the cork and beginning of the vino. When that area gets warmer, the heat expands the air and gently pushes the cork up. Bonus points: Knight says this trick usually keeps your cork intact.

Push It Real Good

Though providing some extra force can give your cork the push it needs to dislodge, be careful about your approach. A quick web search might recommend the shoe method, but Bandy says it only works with sparkling wine. “You hit the bottom of a bottle with a shoe while holding an uncaged bottle of bubbles at an angle to try to loosen a stubborn cork,” she explains. “This particular experiment happened in a car, which should tell you everything you need to know about the level of commitment involved.”

If all else fails, Knight recommends pushing your cork in the wrong direction. “Although it leaves the cork inside the bottle, I believe using a pen, screwdriver, or wooden spoon handle to push the cork down into the bottle is the safest method that can be used with a variety of tools,” Knight says. “However, I’ve always thought that a little cork in wine isn’t going to hurt me.”