Cork off vin

How do I get a cork out of a wine bottle without a corkscrew?

And why the hell are the stupid French still clinging to this 19th century packaging method? Bloody foreigners!

Reply to
Michael Mcneil
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Faced with a similar problem in a hotel room once, I use my trusty Swiss army knife to remove a screw from the top hinge of the bathroom door. Screwed that into the cork, and then trapped the screw head between door and jam (with some card to protect the woodwork) and pulled the bottle free of the cork...

Failing that, find a suitable implement to push the cork into the bottle!

Reply to
John Rumm

Michael Mcneil said

I've got loads of french wine in the shed, all in plastic bottle - courtesy of the Calais hypermarket.

Reply to
Freda

I am told that the 2nd WW troops used to remove corks by banging the base of the bottle flat against a wall, and the hydraulic shock then drove the cork out.

Never seen it done, but (usually) reliable sources attest to its efficacy.

However looking at the time of your post I presume the problem has gone away in one way or another?

Cheers

Dave R

P.S. use a glass cutter (or some fortunate lady's diamond ring) to score round the neck of the bottle, then snap the top off? Don't come crying to me if you hurt yourself, though :-)

Reply to
David W.E. Roberts

I've tried this - it does work, but takes forever! Maybe my technique was off.

Reply to
Grunff

Reply to
Annette Kurten

Probably works best with champagne I would've thought, e.g. the famous knife up the side of the bottle trick.

Dan

Reply to
Dan Gravell

It's an odd question though, you don't HAVE to buy wine in a corked bottle.

Spouse has a corkscrew in his pocket at all times, mine's in my bag.

Experienced wine drinkers you see - not just casuals :-)

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Were you planning on doing a lot of paint stripping?

Reply to
Steve Firth

Use a "wiggle and twist" or a "corkette".

Reply to
Steve Firth

:-)

I daren't say that ...

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

It has to be said. The purpose of wine is IMO rather more than being a cheap source of alcohol for getting falling-down drunk.

Reply to
Steve Firth

The delights of wine are multitudinous. The delights of falling down drunk are nil.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Me to neither. I wish I'd thought of that. Not the Swizz army Knife bit though. Anyone who has one of them is a little outre.

I'm a beer and chips man myself. Still, I suppose it takes all sorts. If the Aussies can get it why not the frogs? A ring pull is so obvious. Lez deek ehds!

He has a what and whats in your bag?

Do I need to know this?

Reply to
Michael Mcneil

Usebig off yorshelf

Wozza sevefirth bloke sayanwyae/ ca rendnt his psosts..

Reply to
Michael Mcneil

You push it into the bottle.

Don't drink French wine then.

Reply to
G&M

Funny the number of "wine-snobs" who have that attitude (cue my brother- in-law). It is all very very drinkable and a bargain too. In fact, we have only once bought a "bargain" back from France that disappointed - and that was in corked glass bottles.

I would quite recommend the Tesco's and Sainsbury's own brand ones that are also available here (sadly at several multiples of the french price).

Reply to
Freda

I can then (as my party trick) pour out one glass of wine and remove the cork from inside the (undamamaged) bottle with only the things at the dinner table. I first saw this done at a restaurant in New York when the waiter accidentally pushed the cork into the bottle with the corkscrew, he said the table could keep that one and he would fetch another. His face was a picture when he returned to see everybody with a glass of wine and the cork, also undamaged, sitting on the table next to the now empty bottle!

John

Reply to
John

;-)

Well it was in fact a leatherman tool... but not everyone knows what one of them is, so I was keeping the story simple ;-)

(although I will confess to a minature three blade swiss army knife that lives on my keyring - very handy as an emrgency screwdriver and for gaining entry to shrink wrapped and sellotaped stuff!)

Would kind of dull the romance a bit in a resteraunt don't you think?

Reply to
John Rumm

Let me guess - like in the Two Ronnies sketch - fork handles... ;-)

Reply to
John Rumm

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