How To Open Up A Bottle Of Wine Without An Opener

You're with your friends at an open-air concert or play, the blanket vibes are immaculate, and you even brought a bottle of wine with a cool label to share that you found off a wine app. But wait — while you were packing everything, you forgot the corkscrew. Is there some way to get that cork out without one?

As it turns out there is, and if you've left your home or apartment and/or driven to your destination, you very likely have the tool you need on hand. It's a key! Now you'll need a sturdy key for this one, and it's best if you can sanitize it beforehand. Holding the flat sides of the key, touch the tip of the key to the top of the cork — ideally toward the edge of the cork rather than in the middle. Tilt the key so that it rises from the cork at a 45-degree angle. Then, press it into the cork until it can't go any further. This means you'll be pushing the key into the cork at a 45-degree angle so that it pierces the cork diagonally, rather than piercing it straight down through the center.

Next, twist the key, while simultaneously pulling it upward. You're going to want to do this slowly, so you don't break either the key or the cork, but the cork should gradually come out of the bottle neck, all without a corkscrew.

Say you're at home, so you're not limited to just car keys when you need to open a bottle of wine and you don't know where your corkscrew is. There are a plethora of items that are probably lying around your house that you can use in the event, starting with a wire hanger, which you'll fashion into a hook small enough to fit inside the bottle neck (using pliers, of course). At the edge of the cork, slip the hook into it until it's almost to the bottom, then rotate the hanger so the hook latches into the cork more fully and pull it out.

You can also use scissors (just slip one blade into the cork and use that to wiggle it out), a screw hook ("screw" the fastener end into the cork and use the hook to pull), or even a screw and hammer (again, "screw" the fastener end into the cork but use the hammer's claw end to pull). Tweezers can also be used, by slipping in on either side of the cork and pulling it out.

Take a deep breath, because this method can be pretty intimidating — but not intimidating enough to get between you and your newly found wine awakening. While you don't need any fancy tools, you do need a solid wall, so you can't use this technique if you're outside in the open air with no structures around you. You'll also need a shoe with a solid sole, so no sandals, please.

You're going to remove the capsule (that's the foil-like wrapper that encloses the neck and cork) and put the heel of the bottle inside the opening of the shoe. Holding the shoe horizontally in one hand and the bottle of wine around the neck with the other, bang the bottle against the wall, inside the shoe (which provides some cushion for the glass). After a few good whacks the cork should start to push outward; repeat until it's far enough out that you can wiggle it out entirely. You can also do this method against the floor, if that feels somehow less scary.