Look, I’m all about doing your own thing when it comes to wine, though there’s one thing I take a hard line on.
In the run-up to 2026, I’m taking a firm stance against what I regard as one of the most menacing threats to the civilised drinking world we’ve encountered to date.
Not to be overly dramatic, but there’s a certain ubiquitous kitchen item I’m lobbying to ban from households nationwide, with immediate effect.
The item in question? The winged corkscrew.
The novelty metal contraption should have stayed a novelty item, but somehow it’s infiltrated our day-to-day lives, becoming our go-to cork extractor, but, for goodness’ sake, it needs to go.
Don’t get me wrong, I can see the initial appeal. On the surface, they seem approachable, easy to use, helpful even.
But please don’t be fooled, they will betray you in front of your guests on New Year’s Eve and make you look like a fool, a simpleton, a novice, or worse, irreversibly uncultured.
I’ve learned this the hard way, multiple times.
Here’s how it always goes: you twist the handle on top, the arms creep upwards as the worm (screw) penetrates deeper into the cork. So far, so typical, right? Once the arms are held aloft, you push them down, expecting a clean and fuss-free cork extraction.
The thing is, by now, we’ve come to learn that nothing associated with this type of implement works cleanly. Quite frankly, you’ll have had more luck opening the bottle with farming equipment.
Now, you may be reading this and thinking, for a wine expert, this guy clearly doesn’t know how to use a corkscrew, but you wouldn’t if you’d seen my skills with a Waiter’s Friend.
The Waiter’s Friend is also known as ‘The Wine Key’ and it reminds me a bit of a Swiss Army Knife.
It’s a brand of professional corkscrew, used by sommeliers at Michelin-starred restaurants, and me, at home and professionally. So much so that I always have one in my bag, and I couldn’t tell you how many I’ve had confiscated at airports.
I don’t want to blow my own horn, but I’m the wine version of Billy the Kid with that thing. I can genuinely extract a cork from a bottle quicker than you can say, ‘I’ll have the second cheapest.’
This is because, in contrast to the uncultured armed corkscrew, the Water’s Friend is sleek, foldable, has a knife to remove the foil, effortlessly leans on the lip of the bottle and lifts the cork out in a simple, two-step opening process.
It takes a bit of practice to angle it correctly, and you must make sure it’s double-hinged, as there’ll be less yanking required.
Get it right, however, and it makes you look like the seamless pro we always knew you were.
If this isn’t for you, there’s always the lever corkscrew, which is usually more expensive than the other two I’ve mentioned.
These are bulkier but effortless in the sense that they have a lever, hence the name. All you have to do is lower the handle, feel when it’s connected with the cork and pull it upwards for a smooth removal.
Alternatively, Peugeot does a very smart electric corkscrew which looks like a posh pepper grinder and removes the cork almost instantaneously.
Top tips for opening a bottle of wine:
- Cut the foil below the lip of the bottle – this means that if there are any jagged edges, they won’t interrupt the flow of the wine as it’s poured
- Insert the worm in the very centre of the cork, slowly at first, then more vigorously as it becomes properly aligned.
- Six half turns should do it
- If you’re using a Waiter’s Friend, lever it onto the first notch, then twist it in further and lever again onto the second notch.
- Lever the cork out fully, though slowly
- If the bottle is wax sealed, DON’T try and circumcise the top, as wax fragments will go everywhere. Treat it like a regular cork, screw into the middle and pull.
- If you don’t have a corkscrew, place the bottle inside your shoe, and gently tap the shoe against the wall. The pressure should eventually extricate the cork
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