I broke a bottle!

I was just opening a new bottle of wine and was struggling with the cork a bit. Suddenly, a big chunk of glass from the lip of the bottle broke off and flew across my kitchen. Luckily, no wine was lost! (And I didn't cut myself either) Has this ever happened to anyone else?

I was just opening a new bottle of wine and was struggling with the cork a bit. Suddenly, a big chunk of glass from the lip of the bottle broke off and flew across my kitchen. Luckily, no wine was lost! (And I didn't cut myself either) Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Yup, a time or three. It could be that it was already cracked from some injury suffered in transit, and the pressure from your opener was enough to rupture it. Or maybe you just don't know your own strength

Mark Lipton

Nope ... but I saw it happen to my father many years ago. At the time, he was showing me how the 2-prong cork puller worked. Just as you described, a big chunk of glass broke off the lip.

It seems to me those type of cork pullers could easily be responsible for a higher percentage of bottle breakage than others.

-- Clark

[David M. Bueker]

I've lost three bottles to breakage while opening. One had a chunk fly off just like your & two were bottles with synthetic corks where the necks literally shattered while trying to extract the cork.

The bottle where the chunk flew off was an attempt at the 2 prong corkscrew. The other two were both normal waiter's corkscrew situations.

[Robin Garr]

the 2-prong cork puller ... It seems to me those type of cork pullers could easily be responsible for a higher percentage of bottle breakage than others.

I agree. I can't cite other than anecdotal evidence based on other people's experience, and I've been lucky not to have it happen to me. But I've had a few tight cork situations in which I could hear the Ah So (2 prong puller) scraping angrily against the glass, and quit using the thing on a regular basis years ago because of the potential hazard. Having a glass bottle shatter in your hands can be no joke ... there's a small but significant danger there.

[David M. Bueker]

I also gave up on the 2 prong cork puller with one exception - the thing is incredibly useful on German wines.

[Robin Garr]

I also gave up on the 2 prong cork puller with one exception - the thing is incredibly useful on German wines.

I still have mine, and would add that you can sometimes use it to work out the far end of a broken cork. Can't really recall the last time I unsheathed it, though.

What is it about German wine corks/bottles that make it particularly useful, David? Narrow gauge, or other factors?

[David M. Bueker]

What is it about German wine corks/bottles that make it particularly useful, David? Narrow gauge, or other factors?

German corks are frequently stuck to the bottles due to that tendency to ooze. I use the two prongs (flecked with gold and hung from gossamer wire above flickering candles) to loosen the cork. I can then either complete the job or switch over to a screwpull. I also have a particular technique for dealing with corks that want to fall into the bottle that utilizes the pocket screwpull.

I find the 2-prong works with older corks (10-20 years old) that have a tendency to rip apart because of age. I've rescued a few corks from being half-stuck in the neck of older bottles that cannot be retrieved any other way.

-Mark

I was actually using a waiters corkscrew when the bottle broke. The synthetic cork was stuck, so I think I was putting way too much pressure on the side of the bottle with the metal prongs (or I'm just freakishly strong!)

Which brings me to my question: Any suggestions for a new corkscrew that won't break the bank? I'm not a fan of the "wing" corkscrews, but that could be because I have a pretty cheap one that tends to split corks. Thanks in advance!

Lizbeth:

I suspect the culprit is the synthetic cork because like you and David I have broken several bottles and almost without exception they have been synthetic corks.

I have a whack of corkscrews from the ah-so you mentioned up to a proverbial "piece of furniture". One of those large bronze and steel cork screws that more often see in a restaurant on a stand. Mine is clamped to a large piece of wood that sits adjacent to our dining room table.

However, more often than not I resort to one of many waiter's corkscrews with the double lever where you start it with one and remove it entirely with the second pull. Quite handy with older wines with longer corks than many.

[David M. Bueker]

Get a pocket version of the Screwpull. It's my favorite bar none. Best item out there. It will also do synthetics even though they caution against it.

Any suggestions for a new corkscrew that won't break the bank? I'm not a fan of the "wing" corkscrews, but that could be because I have a pretty cheap one that tends to split corks. Thanks in advance!

I have the Screwpull lever-action corkscrew, which I use for ~98% of my (non-screwcap) wine bottles. Every now and then, I enounter an extremely tight fitting synthetic stopper, which stresses the Screwpull a lot. Rather than risking breaking it, I remove it and go to the folding waiter corkscrew.

The problem with the wing-style corkscrews is that most of the ones you find are incredibly cheap. They tend to split corks because they have a thick metal screw with a rather blunt point. Units like the Screwpull have a very sharp, strong, thin metal screw, which is treated with a teflon-like coating. These easily pierce the corks without splitting them.

You can get plastic knockoffs of the Screwpull pretty cheaply these days. They are not as robust as the all-metal models, but my limited experience with them indicates they do the job.

-- Clark

[David M. Bueker]

You can get plastic knockoffs of the Screwpull pretty cheaply these days. They are not as robust as the all-metal models, but my limited experience with them indicates they do the job.

I've broken two legitimate Levelpull scorkscrews & will never buy one again. I don't even want the broken one repaired.

The pocket Screwpull is the way to go.

Not that I have an opinion on this or anything.

The pocket Screwpull is the way to go.

I just realized that I actually have one of these ... received it as a gift a few years ago. I only used it a couple of times and it seemed to work fine. I'll make it a point to try it again real soon. Thanks for the recommendation, and for jogging my memory.

-- Clark

[Jenise]

Nope ... but I saw it happen to my father many years ago. At the time, he was showing me how the 2-prong cork puller worked. Just as you described, a big chunk of glass broke off the lip.

It seems to me those type of cork pullers could easily be responsible for a higher percentage of bottle breakage than others.

-- Clark

Had that happen with one of those, but my break occurred about an inch down--I suspect the bottle was already fractured under the foil. Because of the motion required for the Ah So, when the upper portion of the bottle snapped away on a diagonal, I was still twisting and the protruding high point of glass cut far enough through my finger to sever a nerve. That finger was numb for like a year.

We've gone down this path before, but once again happily; the Waiters Pal is the best opener for synthetics. However it is essential that you use one with a wide enough claw. Wide enough is at least 1/2". More narrow ones will put more pressure on a smaller area of the bottle lip, possibly causing breakage.

We use the Pocket Screwpull on corks and composites. Our experience is that synthetics peel the teflon off the worms.

I find the 2-prong works with older corks (10-20 years old) that have a tendency to rip apart because of age. I've rescued a few corks from being half-stuck in the neck of older bottles that cannot be retrieved any other way.

Ditto. For broken corks I whip out the Laguiole. For everyday use, I like the Leverpull -- never had a problem and I open an average of six bottles a day, with the whole gamut of corks defying extraction.

I've keep mine around, too, Robin, mainly because of the beautiful rosewood sheath it resides in. Now I'll have to try it on German wines and those nasty broken corks.
Thanks for the tip. JP