What could be complicated about buying a wine bottle opener? If your only experience has been with those handy, disposable two piece plastic corkscrews hanging on the rack at the checkout counter, then your wine bottle opening life has been simple, perhaps a bit frustrating, but nonetheless simple. We'll provide information that will help you avoid buying an opener that has you using a strainer to remove cork debris and a towel for clean up as often as you use the opener.Damaged Wine CorkDamaged Cork 2Damaged Cork and Wine SpillNow that you think you are ready to move up or are planning on buying a wine bottle opener as a gift there are a number of factors to consider. As with any decision where many choices are available, a little information, thought and analysis about what’s available, how choices vary and the specific needs that are addressed by each choice will lead to a solution that is functional, satisfying and provides hours of discourse with fellow dedicated wine bottle opening aficionados.Let’s begin by clearly defining the critical issues related to identifying the implement that best matches your needs. Here are a few things that our research indicates that you should consider when evaluating what your ideal wine bottle opener investment will be:Are you the host for many and large parties? If you need to open multiple bottles consecutively, an electric model will save you time, according to CooksIllustrated.com. You may want to consider inviting a few strong handed friends to the party and let them join in on the opening festivities using more traditional approaches while adding to fun of consecutive openings. A more simple approach may be to buy wines that are sealed with convenient screw caps from producers in countries that have pioneered the screw cap to ensure consistent quality wines. While there is a growing number of West Coast U.S. producers using screw caps, the majority of Australian Wines, New Zealand Wines and South African Wines have been using them for decades.Is hand strength a limiting factor for you? If so, choose an electric model, advises ConsumerReports.org. Of course, if your wine consumption takes place in areas where electrical power is limited or unavailable, you will want to consider an alternative type of opener such as a lever style; if you can’t imagine another alternative to an electric opener, a portable power supply may be your only guarantee to ensure uninterrupted opening capability.Do you have a storage issue? Lever-style corkscrews require the least strength of all manual openers, but some can be bulky. A few of my friends “store” their lever style openers on their bars or counter tops. They are always willing to demonstrate the magic of their openers and regale listeners with tales of how they discovered the lever style opener, where their first encounter took place, best places to buy them and endless instructions about the use and care of their cherished instruments.Do you feel inclined to buy a pump style opener? If so, give it some serious thought. A stuck cork can blow out suddenly, pushing the device into your face, bringing a quick halt to that celebration you have been looking to for weeks. Odds are you will also end up with most of the wine on the table, floor and carpet, and any nearby clothing. Keeping your face out of direct alignment with the pump style opener will certainly reduce the face damage, but the table and floor may not be as lucky if you are startled by the blowout.Will you travel with it? Small enough to fit in a pocket, waiter-style corkscrews are the most portable. One caution about travel: I have left a number of openers with TSA agents at various US airports. Typically, at my destination, I would buy new one to replace the one the TSA confiscated, put it in the pocket of by travel bag, making a mental to remove it and reward it as a gift to a host, acquaintance or total, but deserving looking, stranger before going through security. Without fail, I forget and the deserving stranger is wearing a crisp, blue TSA uniform. The cycle repeats.Will your kitchen décor blend with your new opener? You might want to avoid an electric model, since it may be hard to find one that matches the look of your kitchen. On the other hand, it may provide you with a great deal of pride and pleasure to point it out and share bottle opening stories with guests and friends…Did I ever tell you about the time I was hosting a party for my book club’s discussion of Thomas Pynchon’s latest…well, I thought rather than opening a half dozen bottles, I’d just get a Reboboam (4.5 Liter) of Bordeaux…this little workhorse (patting the electric opener) did its job and we did Pynchon proud. Does your collection include older bottles with real corks? If you have old bottles with corks that are in danger of crumbling, wine experts recommend a pronged opener. While best with old corks, I personally like a pronged opener for most bottles and most occasions. Models where the prongs are slightly different lengths are the easiest to insert. I have found them to be quicker for opening than the traditional screw style and the cork is in better shape for reclosing the bottle for later use.Will it be a tool, or are you leaning toward building an estate? Are you looking for an investment piece, or simply something that does the job? Are you thinking of becoming a collector and leaving an estate of heirloom openers for the next generation? The answers will help you determine budget and timing in the market.What extras should you consider? Glasses for red wine and white wine, a pump that preserves wine by removing air, a decanter, a wine journal and a drip stopper are among the best gadgets. You might want to consider a wine aerator and decanter. Aerators come in a range of sizes. They improve flavor and dramatically reduce breathing time, a big help if you host numerous wine tasting or wine-focused parties. Even the smallest aerators do a good job in a minimal amount of time. For some reason the sound of an aerator always generates a disproportionate amount of conversation, you might want to think of using one as an ice breaker if the party is getting off to a slow start.NOW THAT YOU HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW YOUR OPENER WILL MATCH YOUR STYLE, ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL NEED, THINK ABOUT THE OPENER ITSELF:Is the screw at least 1.75 inches long? Shorter screws will cause corks to crumble or break it.Will it easily and effectively handle all types of corks? Corkscrews should be able to extract natural as well as synthetic and compound corks.Will it extract the cork without causing the bottle to shake? If there's sediment in the bottle, the action of the corkscrew should not cause it to float up into the wine.Does it work without requiring excessive strength? The most effective corkscrews should incorporate mechanical assistance: leverage or torque so uncorking doesn't depend entirely on your ability to pull hard.Make sure your corkscrew has a worm, and not an augur. Worms look like coiled worms. Augurs look like a sharpened worm wrapped around a nail and tend to shred corks.Will it do the job done safely? When you’re finished, it should always be without explosions, cracked glass, and chipped glass, floating cork chunks or broken corkscrews.NOW THAT YOU HAVE DETERMINED THE CRITICAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN YOUR OPENER AND OPENER DECISIONS, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT’S AVAILABLE.First let’s look at the lever style, which works very simply: Press down on a lever and a coiled metal rod -- also referred to as a spiral, worm or screw -- is driven into the cork. Pulling the lever back up removes the cork from the bottle and repeating the push-pull action releases the cork from the spiral. However, reviewers say lever-style wine openers can break over time and are expensive compared to other manual openers, starting at about $20 and costing up to $100 or more. Williams-Sonoma Lever Wine Opener & Foil Cutter William-Sonoma Lever Opener Electric wine openers are motorized, battery-powered alternatives that generally come with a recharging base so they're always ready to use. Their fans find them easy to operate, but keep in mind that they're typically designed to be stored on a countertop and not in a drawer. These are fairly economical small appliances, generally running $20 to $40, although some cost about $100. Oenophilia Vinomatico Rechargeable Corkscrew Oenophilia Vinomatico Rechargeable Corkscrew Waring Portable Electric Wine Bottle Opener Waring Portable Electric Wine Bottle Opener A typically less expensive option is the basic corkscrew, which combines a metal worm with a handle that's twisted to drive the screw into the cork, then manipulated to remove the cork from the bottle. They require varying degrees of muscle to use. Basic corkscrews can be as cheap as a dollar or two, but can cost $30 or more if they're made of high-quality materials, have a unique design or are engineered to require less effort. Basic Cork Screw (Auger Style) Winged Cork Screw (Worm Style) Auger Style Cork Screw Winged Cork Screw (Worm Style)The popular waiter-style corkscrew that's prevalent in restaurants has one or two hinged braces that fit against the rim of the bottle, increasing leverage to help make cork extraction easier. Other common corkscrew types include T-shaped styles that look like the letter "T" and winged versions with two handles that rise as the worm makes its way into the cork. OXO Steel Pulltap Corkscrew 5100 OXO Steel Wine Bottle Opener Pulltap Corkscrew 5100There are other alternatives, as well. A pronged opener has two slim prongs that slip between the cork and the bottle. While some like its unusual appearance and say it's good for removing old and brittle corks, others find that it can take patience to master. Pronged openers run from about $5 to $25. Rabbit Ah, So! Cork Remover Rabbit Ah So Cork RemoverWith a pump cork extractor, air or gas is blasted through the cork and into the bottle, and the increased pressure forces the cork out. Some reviewers like the novelty, but others say pump openers aren't that easy to use and can be dangerous. In 2011, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled the Sunbeam Air Pump Wine Opener NBSKWA2600 because of a laceration hazard caused by wine bottles breaking due to the action of the opener.Many wine openers come with foil cutters that are used to remove the capsule, or the sleeve that covers the top and neck of a wine bottle. To add to your drinking pleasure, you may want to consider purchasing a wine aerator, a device with air holes that transfers wine from the bottle to the glass. Many aficionados say an aerator can improve the taste of any wine.Now you have the essential criteria for making an informed decision about your wine bottle opener purchase.http://www.todays-wine.com/blogs/tasting/16828180-wine-tips-everything-you-need-to-know-about-wine-bottle-openers
