Wine Openers

Lever wine openers are best overall

Corkscrews are often compared to mousetraps in the sense that building something better than the original T-shaped worm spiral corkscrew seems a superfluous act. As testimony to the enduring nature of simplicity, many reviews of wine openers and corkscrews conclude by saying that while the newer gadgets are admirable, the reviewer still isn't tempted to throw their old corkscrew away. Despite a sentimental attachment to traditional corkscrews, reviews prove that new types of wine openers -- especially lever wine openers -- require less muscle and effort than traditional corkscrews.

Lever wine openers work by first clamping to the neck of the bottle. Then a lever (which is either pushed or pulled by handles) pushes the spiral worm into the cork. Finally, the lever reverses to pull out the cork. Some lever wine openers change the direction of the lever one last time to extract the cork from the corkscrew. Internal gears and leverage reduce the muscle needed to extract the cork. In testing, reviewers favor longer levers that are cushioned and ergonomically shaped.

We found the best reviews for the Le Creuset Screwpull Lever Model Elegance (*est. $150) . This wine opener is a gift-giving favorite. It features a patented foil cutter that works with a twist of the wrist. Extracting the cork is a matter of clamping to the bottle and moving a lever to insert the Teflon-coated corkscrew, popping the cork and removing the cork from the spiral. Reviewers say this lever wine opener is excellent and simple to use, with a short learning curve. The Screwpull Elegance also comes with an extra spiral worm, and the unit comes with a ten-year warranty.

The Screwpull Elegance is rated as excellent by most reviewers, and this consistency goes back a decade. In 1997, Cook's Illustrated picked a Screwpull lever wine opener as best. Ten years later, Screwpull lever wine openers are still the favorite. The Screwpull Elegance has a plastic body and metal handles. Owners prefer this model to the Screwpull Classic (*est. $100) , which has plastic handles.

While the Screwpull Elegance is easily the best luxury lever wine opener, we also found great reviews for the Vacu Vin Winemaster (*est. $50) . This wine opener also uses levers, but it looks a lot different compared with the Screwpull Elegance. The Vacu Vin Winemaster is more cylindrical. It has one set of levers for pushing the corkscrew into the bottle and another set for pulling the cork out. While some reviewers say the Vacu Vin lever wine opener has a bit of a learning curve, many owners say it actually ends up taking less effort than the Screwpull Elegance. And it's hard to ignore the price difference.

In the higher price ranges, you'll find lever openers that attach to a bar or countertop for greater leverage and stability. Some of these wine openers are able to recork the bottle. The Rogar Estate Wine Opener (*est. $100) is one of the wine openers featured in a five-model test at The Wall Street Journal back in 2000. This display-worthy wine opener is heavy and definitely not portable. Owners say the Rogar wine opener works well, but it also just looks great attached to a home wet bar.

Several reviewers praise Metrokane's Rabbit wine openers, although reviews on some consumer feedback websites say the cheaper ones are not durable. We found mixed reviews for the basic Metrokane Rabbit wine opener (*est. $40) and Metrokane Rabbit Deluxe (*est. $60) . While some owners like the design, many owners say that the Rabbit wine openers get harder and harder to use over time -- a problem that other reviewers suggest can be remedied with a drop of lubricant. Still, we found better reviews for the Vacu Vin and Screwpull lever wine openers.

Budget wine openers and corkscrews

Reviewers say that you don't have to spend $50 or $100 to get a better corkscrew. While there's a flood of $20 corkscrews and wine openers out there, testers say some are definitely better than others.

We read a lot about continuous-turn wine openers. Unlike lever-type models, continuous-turn corkscrews do require you to twist the screw into the cork. But unlike a traditional corkscrew, you don't have to pull the cork out. Rather, you just keep turning the screw in the same direction and the cork pops out. The OXO Good Grips CorkPull (*est. $20) gets some good reviews, although some users say it isn't that durable. Most owners and experts say it's a good continuous-turn corkscrew overall. It includes a foil cutter, but reviewers are mixed on how well this works.

Screwpull and Zyliss also make continuous-turn corkscrews. The Zyliss Steward Corkscrew with Foil Cutter (*est. $20) gets good reviews and is a little bit nicer-looking than the OXO model, but this brand is harder to find in the U.S. One advantage, one reviewer says, is that the Zyliss wine opener is a better fit on flanged California-style wine bottles. Cook's Illustrated notes that the spiral worm is encased in a frame, which helps the spiral find the target.

Wing-style corkscrews are also easy to use, and they also require that you twist the corkscrew into the cork. As you twist, two levers are pushed upwards. Then you push down on the two raised levers to pull out the cork. Here again, we found some good reviews for the OXO Good Grips Winged Corkscrew (*est. $12) , which has a large, comfortable handle. Again, we read a few durability complaints, but for less than $15, this model is a good value.

So-called "waiter's friend" wine openers fold like a jackknife and use an extended brace that fits on the rim of the bottle, so you can leverage against that to extract the cork after screwing in the metal worm. While many oeneophiles have a deep attachment to waiter's wine openers, most experts say they take a lot of practice and a fair amount of muscle. The Wall Street Journal liked the Chateau Laguiole model they tried (with olive wood handle, $130), and the Laguiole name comes up frequently in other reviews.

Two long-lived companies in France bear the Laguiole name, but there are actually two companies bearing that name -- Forge de Laguiole and Chateau Laguiole are separate entities. They both make waiter's wine openers that range from simple to extravagant, boasting exotic wood handles and stylized designs. The top-end products retail at $200 and are meant as luxury gifts. For similar results, the Pulltap's Professional Waiter's Corkscrew (*est. $10) isn't fancy, but works well enough. A related model, the Pulltap's Double Hinged Waiter's Corkscrew (*est. $20) has a two-tiered brace, which allows for continued leverage by moving the brace to a new position when the cork is halfway out. A foldout foil cutter is included.

The "ah-so" wine bottle opener is another style, but reviewers don't recommend these units, which are usually affordably priced but tricky to use. With an ah-so wine-bottle opener, you have to slide two thin strips of metal between the cork and the glass, then twist and pull to extract the cork. This takes practice, and reviewers say the steep learning curve doesn't give this type an edge over other styles. However, an ah-so wine opener can have an advantage if your bottle has a fragile, dry or damaged cork. If you're considering buying an ah-so wine bottle opener, it's probably best reserved for special bottles -- but if you love mastering gadgets, an ah-so wine opener might be a fun challenge.

Important Features: Wine openers

Reviewers say the following about shopping for a wine opener or corkscrew:

• Lever wine openers require the least effort. While you can still spend up to $300 on a fancy gift set, prices have come down considerably over the last decade due to increased competition. Some lever-style openers come with a compartmented storage box, and some include a replacement spiral worm.

• Metal is better than plastic. Other nice features include a plastic sleeve for the metal screw.

• If you have limited arm strength or arthritis, lever-style is also best. Lever-type corkscrews don't require any twisting on the part of the user. Less arm strength is needed to extract the cork.

• If you are considering a manual twist-type corkscrew, look for a sturdy spiral with an off-center point. Although these require more careful aim, you're less likely to break the cork than with a corkscrew that has its point in the center of the turning radius.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of picks	Model (with retailer links)	Details from Amazon.com
3	Le Creuset Screwpull Lever Model Elegance (*est. $150)	details
3	Vacu Vin Winemaster (*est. $50)	details
2	OXO Good Grips CorkPull (*est. $20)	details
2	Zyliss Steward Corkscrew with Foil Cutter (*est. $20)	details
1 each	Screwpull Trigger, Screwpull 3 in One , Trudeau Trulever , Rogar Estate Wine Opener , Wine Enthusiast Zoom Corkscrew, Pull It Lever Corkscrew, Monopol , Pulltap's Waiter's Corkscrew , Corkette Cork Extractor, Laguioles waiter's friend , Genouille Ergonomic Corkscrew

We found the best reviews for lever-style wine openers, including the luxury Screwpull Elegance and the budget Vacu Vin Winemaster. Experts say both are easier to use than other types, which generally require more twisting and pulling. Among budget corkscrews, we found good reviews for the OXO Good Grips CorkPull, which requires twisting but not pulling. The Zyliss Steward Corkscrew is similar, but hard to find in the U.S.

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