Twist and Pop! I Opened 50 Bottles of Wine to Find the Five Best Wine Openers

Our winners are from Pulltaps and OXO.

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assorted wine openers on a red background

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Straight to the Point

Our favorite waiter-style corkscrew is from Pulltaps—it was fast, comfortable to hold, and removed corks swiftly. We also liked the twist-style corkscrew from Brabantia.

Opening a bottle of wine should be quick, easy, and painless. After all, you’re after a good time, not a pinched-fingers-cramped-hand-strained-wrist time. But there are so many doggone opinions out there: levers, wings, waiters, twists! 

We began our quest to find a great wine opener five years ago by testing 19 of them, but figured it was time to revisit, retest, and add new corkscrews to the mix. While we kept wing-style corkscrews out of our lineup (we’ve never liked ‘em), I did test a coterie of 20 lever-style, waiter’s style, and twist-style openers by opening 50 bottles of wine. Our winners were durable, easy to use, and made the experience of popping open a bottle quick and painless.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Waiter’s Style Corkscrew

Pulltaps Waiters Corkscrew

pulltaps corkscrew on white background

Amazon

This sturdy corkscrew was incredibly easy to hold and maneuver, and the fulcrums were appropriately spaced and fit securely on the bottle. It pulled corks out quickly and without a hitch.

The Best Budget Waiter's Style Corkscrew

OXO Steel Double Lever Waiters Corkscrew

OXO Steel Double Lever Waiters Corkscrew

Amazon

We really liked the grippy, balanced handle on this corkscrew from OXO. It also boasted a super sharp cutter that sliced through foil with ease. 

The Best Twist-Style Corkscrew

Brabantia Tasty+ Wine Bottle Opener Corkscrew

Brabantia Tasty+ Wine Bottle Opener Corkscrew

Amazon

Twist corkscrews make really easy work of removing a cork, since they have a seamless turning motion that pushes the worm into the cork and at the same time, removes it. We liked this sturdy offering from Brabantia, which was easy to use, fast, and powerful enough to even remove a cork through its metal foil cap.

The Best Lever-Style Corkscrew

Rabbit Original Lever Corkscrew Wine Opener

Yes, this corkscrew looks a little…weird. BUT! It actually worked fabulously and made pulling the cork out of a bottle so effortless and so easy, we kind of couldn’t believe it. 

Another Great Lever-Style Corkscrew

OXO Vertical Corkscrew with Removable Foil Cutter

oxo-steel-vertical-lever-corkscrew

Amazon

This was another great lever-style corkscrew that required minimal effort to use. It clamps over the bottle, screws the worm into the cork when you push the lever down, and pops the cork out when you lift the lever. Easy. Peasy.

The Best Electric Corkscrew

Peugeot Elis Touch Electric Corkscrew

Peugeot Elis Touch Electric Corkscrew

Walmart

If you’re looking for an ultimate no-effort way to open a wine bottle, this electric corkscrew takes the hard work out of the equation. Just place it on top of the bottle and press down to engage the corkscrew.

The Tests

using a metal wine opener to ppen a bottle of wine

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

  • Foil Cutting Test: If the wine opener had a foil cutter, I tested it out by cutting the foil cap on a bottle of wine. 
  • Wine Opening Test: I opened two bottles of wine (with natural corks) using each wine opener, timing how long it took. I noted how the wine opener felt to use and if it smoothly entered and removed the cork. 
  • Durability Test (Winners-Only): I opened three bottles of wine in a row with each of our winning bottle openers to examine their durability. 
  • Ease of Use Test: Throughout testing, I noted if the corkscrews were easy to use and if they strained my hands. 

What We Learned

The Different Kinds of Wine Openers 

three styles of wine openers on a red surface

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Waiter’s style, twist, lever, winged, electric…there are a lot of wine openers out there, and each (well, except for the winged ones) has its own pros and cons. 

  • Waiter’s Corkscrews: Friend of bartenders and sommeliers everywhere, this slim, classic corkscrew operates by twisting the worm into the cork, then using the fulcrums and handle to pull the cork out. This style is compact (it can fit in your pocket or apron, if you really are a waiter), but does require hand strength and dexterity. 
  • Twist Corkscrews: We tested two twist-style corkscrews from Le Creuset and Brabantia. Both rest atop the bottle, and to remove the cork you simply twist the handle attached to the worm on top. The screw then worms its way into the cork, simultaneously pulling it out as it twists in. These are easier on the hands and wrists than a waiter’s style corkscrew, though they are larger. 
  • Lever Corkscrews: These are bulky openers aimed at minimizing how much twisting and turning you have to do, and while they look complex, they’re pretty simple to use: clamp the opener over the bottleneck with the lever up, then push the lever down, inserting the worm into the cork. Then, pull the lever up, which tugs out the cork. Folks often like these because they require no wrist twisting, though you do need some hand strength to pull the lever up. 
  • Winged Corkscrews: These are the corkscrews that kind of look like a little person. We didn’t test winged openers because in our previous tests, they, well, stunk. You have to center the screw, twist the top, then push the levers down to get the cork out, but a lot of times they just don't have enough torque to remove it in one smooth motion.
  • Electric Corkscrews: Electric openers kind of work like twist openers, except the battery does the turning and removing for you. We didn’t include these in this review, but we have tested electric corkscrews separately (though we added our top pick to our winners here, just in case). 

The Parts of a Wine Opener 

a waiters corkscrew opened up with the following parts labeled: worm (corkscrew), fulcrums, foil cutter, handle

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Practical Design Mattered

While some corkscrews looked beautiful, I often found some questionable design choices. For example, the Le Creuset and Crafthouse corkscrews both featured a fulcrum that would only engage when you pushed it in. Now, when you’re screwing the worm (i.e. the corkscrew) into the cork and gripping the handle and the bottle, the last thing you want to do is have to maneuver your fingers to push the fulcrum to get it to hit the bottle lip. Why make your life needlessly difficult when you could just have, I don’t know, a fixed fulcrum? 

I also disliked when waiter’s style corkscrews placed the foil cutter on the top middle of the handle, like on the Crafthouse, since it dug into my hands as I twisted. Another con: when a handle was unbalanced (or the worm was located off-center) and the corkscrew flopped to one side when you twisted it, like on the Crafthouse and Le Creuset Waiters Corkscrew.

Fulcrums Were Finicky

a person opening a bottle of wine using the first fulcrum to begin to lever out the cork.
A good fulcrum made levering out the cork easy. Poorly placed ones slipped and required more effort.

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A fulcrum is a notched piece of metal on a waiter’s style opener that rests on the lip of the bottle; when you push the handle down, the fulcrum provides resistance and helps you pull the cork out. Most waiter’s style openers have two fulcrums: the first is located closer to the handle, so you can start to remove the cork, while the second is further away and helps finish the job. But fulcrums were finicky: some were spaced too close or too far apart, and others were slippery (like on the Zwilling) and we had trouble getting them to stay on the bottle lip.

The best fulcrums, like on the Pulltaps, were spaced far enough from the handle (and each other), giving us decent leverage. We didn’t like it when the first fulcrum was too close to the handle, like on the All-Clad, which rendered it useless. We also didn’t like it when the fulcrum flopped down while we were twisting the worm into the corkscrew, like on the Trudeau

A Sharp Foil Cutter Is a Nice Feature 

a closeup shot of a bottle of wine with a foil cap that has been sliced but is rather frayed.

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

While not every bottle of wine is capped with foil, when it is, you don’t want to be slowly picking flakes off—and this is where a foil cutter comes in handy. Sharp ones sliced through foil easily, while bad ones (like the TrueTap) shredded. Conversely, the OXO Steel Double Lever Waiter's Corkscrew and Zwilling both had super sharp, effective cutters—though they looked completely different. The OXO’s was short and shaped like a cat claw, while the Zwilling’s was long and slightly curved (it honestly kind of looks like a scythe…the Grim Reaper’s bottle opener of choice, perhaps?). But no matter—they both made clean, quick cuts and the foil came off like a little cap. 

Both the lever-style corkscrews we tested also come with foil cutters, though they are round and require you to twist them around the bottle opening; both were really quite easy to use (though the OXO’s wasn’t particularly sharp), and there was no risk of jabbing yourself with a blade. 

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Wine Bottle Opener

An image of a person using the OXO lever style corkscrew to open a bottle of wine with the following text overlaying the image: A seriously good wine opener; easy to use; comfortable to hold; opens wine quickly

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

This varies depending on which style you are looking for, but in general, we wanted wine openers that were easy to use, comfortable to maneuver, and opened wine fast and easily. Breaking it down by type:

  • Waiter’s style openers: I liked openers that were balanced (the worm was centered on the handle, or close to it), comfortable to hold, and had nicely spaced fulcrums that gripped the bottle lip assuredly. Oh, and they should remove the cork easily and efficiently. 
  • Lever-style openers: I liked both of the lever-style openers we tested since they were easy to grip and removed corks with minimal effort. 
  • Twist-style openers: I liked sturdy twist-top openers, like the Brabantia, which was easy to grip and also required minimal finger strength to twist the tab.

The Best Wine Openers

The Best Waiter’s Style Corkscrew

Pulltaps Waiters Corkscrew

pulltaps corkscrew on white background

Amazon

What we liked: This was a sturdy, effective corkscrew that got the job done fast. I loved the balanced metal handle, sharp worm, and the spacing of the fulcrums, which made it easy to lever the cork out. 

What we didn’t like: The foil knife could have been a little sharper, but it still sliced readily.

Key Specs

  • Style: Waiter’s 
  • Materials: Stainless steel
  • Overall length: 4.75 inches
  • Worm length: 2 inches
  • Worm curves:
  • Weight: 3.1 ounces
Pulltaps wine opener on a red background

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

The Best Budget Waiter's Style Corkscrew

OXO Steel Double Lever Waiters Corkscrew

OXO Steel Double Lever Waiter's Corkscrew

Amazon

What we liked: With a grippy rubber handle and nicely spaced fulcrums, this was a comfortable and easy-to-use corkscrew. It also sports a wicked sharp, cat-claw-shaped foil cutter that swiped through metal like it was nothing. 

What we didn’t like: It’s a bit large and the second fulcrum is long, but neither impacted performance.

Key Specs

  • Style: Waiter’s 
  • Materials: Stainless steel, plastic 
  • Overall length: 5 3/8 inches
  • Worm length: 2 inches
  • Worm curves:
  • Weight: 3.7 ounces
OXO waiter's style wine opener on red surface

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

The Best Twist-Style Corkscrew

Brabantia Tasty+ Wine Bottle Opener Corkscrew

Brabantia Tasty+ Wine Bottle Opener Corkscrew

Amazon

What we liked: This was a sturdy twist-style corkscrew with wide, easy-to-grip tabs on top of the worm portion. It easily fit over different styles of wine bottles and even removed a cork with the foil cap still on it without a hitch. Bonus: It’s only $12 (as of publish date). 

What we didn’t like: While less intensive on the wrist than a waiter’s style corkscrew, this still requires finger strength and wrist twisting.

Key Specs

  • Style: Twist
  • Materials: Plastic 
  • Overall length: 6.5 inches
  • Worm length: 4.25 inches
  • Worm curves: 16
  • Weight: 2.9 ounces
  • Warranty: 5-year
Brabantia wine opener on red surface

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

The Best Lever-Style Corkscrew

Rabbit Original Lever Corkscrew Wine Opener

The Original Rabbit Corkscrew

Courtesy of Rabbit Wine


What we liked: While this lever corkscrew looks—intriguing?—it actually performed really well, smoothly removing corks with little effort. It also comes with a separate foil cutter and a replacement worm.

What we didn’t like: It’s big, it’s bulky, and it looks a little bit odd. When it’s not on sale, it’s kinda expensive ($55). 

Key Specs

  • Style: Lever
  • Materials: Polycarbonate, metal, and nylon
  • Side levers: 5.5 inches
  • Top lever: 5.25 inches
  • Height (closed): 5.5 inches
  • Worm length: 3 inches
  • Worm curves: 8.5
  • Weight: 12.8 ounces
  • Comes with: Foil cutter, extra worm
Rabbit wine opener on a red surface

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Another Great Lever-Style Corkscrew

OXO Vertical Corkscrew with Removable Foil Cutter

oxo-steel-vertical-lever-corkscrew

Amazon

What we liked: This lever-style corkscrew clasps securely on top of a wine bottle and, though I had a few misfires at first (using it was a learning curve), once I got the hang of things, it was a pleasure to use. It’s nice and easy on the wrists, too, though you still do need some strength to pull the cork out. 

What we didn’t like: This corkscrew takes some getting used to, and some corks took more effort to lever out than others, though overall it made the process quick and easy. It’s also bulky and heavy, pricey, and the circular foil cutter struggled to slice through foil. 

Key Specs

  • Style: Lever
  • Materials: Die cast zinc lever; plastic; stainless steel
  • Length: 6 inches (unextended)
  • Worm length: 2 7/8 inches
  • Worm curves: 8.5
  • Weight: 1 lb, 1.2 ounces
  • Comes with: Foil cutter, extra worm
OXO lever wine opener on a red surface

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

The Best Electric Corkscrew

Peugeot Elis Touch Electric Corkscrew

Peugeot Elis Touch Electric Corkscrew

Walmart

What we liked: This corkscrew was easy to use, entering the cork centered and pulling it out with minimal effort. To activate it, you just press down on the top; it was low effort and required less grip than corkscrews with up and down buttons. 

What we didn’t like: This corkscrew sure is expensive! Some folks also had trouble figuring out how to use it, but once they did it came easy.

Key Specs

  • Weight: 2 lbs
  • Materials: Acrylic, stainless steel
  • Dimensions: 2 x 2 x 8 inches
  • Circumference: 6 7/8 inches
  • Bottles opened per charge: 40
  • Power source: Plug in to charge
  • Time to remove cork: 9.5 seconds
  • What comes with it: Charger base, cord, and foil cutter
the peugeot elis corkscrew in its sand with the foil cutter

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

The Competition 

  • Trudeau Turbo Double Lever Corkscrew: While our previous winner did a fine job removing corks in the end, we had a few qualms: the fulcrum was floppy (it flopped down multiple times mid-twist, which was annoying) and the first notch on the fulcrum didn’t provide much leverage. 
  • True TrueTap Double Hinged Waiter’s Corkscrew: While this corkscrew looked nearly identical to the Pulltaps (our winner), it was stiff (the fulcrum was hard to open and close) and we had trouble getting the worm into corks. 
  • ZWILLING Henckels Sommelier Accessories Classic Waiter's Corkscrew: This corkscrew was almost a winner (it was balanced and the worm was sharp), save for one flaw: the fulcrum notches were slippery, and slid off the lip of bottles every time we used it. 
  • Vinturi Waiters Corkscrew Wine Opener: This was a heavy corkscrew with a hinge that pinched our fingers. The foil cutter also stuck out quite a bit from the handle, which made it uncomfortable to hold. 
  • All-Clad Stainless Steel Waiters Corkscrew Wine Opener: This was the heaviest corkscrew we tested, and the first fulcrum notch was set too close to the handle, rendering it useless. 
  • Le Creuset Waiters Corkscrew Wine Opener: This expensive corkscrew (it’s $46) didn’t perform as well as our $28 winner from Pulltaps: the foil cutter shredded rather than cleanly cut, and you have to push in the first fulcrum to engage it.
  • Crafthouse Signature Bottle Opener and Waiters Corkscrew Set: This was an off-balanced corkscrew, the placement of the foil cutter dug into our hands, and you had to push the first fulcrum to engage it. Note: We did not test the separate bottle opener included in this review. 
  • Le Creuset Original Table Model Corkscrew: We’ve used one of these for years, so even though it feels very flimsy (it’s completely made of plastic, save for the worm), it does have lasting power. That said, it’s $30— kinda expensive for a plastic corkscrew, especially since the Brabantia (which felt sturdier) is less than half the price. 
  • Trudeau Maison Double Lever Corkscrew: This model was slow to use, requiring more twists per inch.
  • HiCoup Wine Bottle Opener: While handsome, with a hefty weight, it was really easy to push the upper fulcrum into the cork, gouging the cork as it lifted it out of the wine bottle. 
  • Barvivo Wine Opener: Nearly identical to the HiCoup, this corkscrew had the same flaw. 
  • Laguiole Waiter's Corkscrew: The single-lever Laguiole works about as well as the design allows, but it’s slower than a double-fulcrum version of the waiter’s style corkscrew.
  • Rabbit Two-Step Waiter's Corkscrew: The grippy rubber coating on the handle of the Rabbit is very comfortable, and this tool works well, but the hinge that connects the fulcrums is stiff, and more attention is required to keep it from slipping off the bottleneck. It’s also out of stock. 
  • Le Creuset Pocket Model Wine Opener: The Pocket Wine Opener had a confusing setup of three pieces that required assembly with each use.
  • Vacu Vin Twister Corkscrew: The Vacu Vin Twister is a comfortable-to-use two-piece design that works well, but doesn’t include a foil cutter.

FAQs

Which type of corkscrew is the easiest to use?

Lever-style corkscrews tend to be the easiest to use. You simply push down to drive the worm into the cork, then pull up to remove it—no twisting or yanking required. The trade-off is that lever models are larger and heavier than other styles. Twist-style corkscrews are also quite easy, though you do need some finger strength. 

What's a waiter's corkscrew?

These corkscrews are called a waiter’s friend for a few reasons: they’re affordable, they’re slim (they can slip easily into a pocket), and they’re designed to remove corks efficiently. Waiter’s corkscrews have a small blade for stripping foil, and the two-step twist-then-pull action can be (albeit with a bit of practice) performed swiftly and without fanfare.

What's a two-pronged wine opener called?

These tricky little gadgets are often referred to as cork pullers. The prongs are designed to slip between the cork and the bottle, extracting the cork without damage (they’re often used for old bottles). Cork pullers take some practice and finesse to get the hang of—do be careful of those pointy prong tips.

What is the best wine opener?

While it depends on personal preference, we prefer waiter's corkscrews—they are affordable, slim, and remove corks efficiently. That said, they can be tough on the hands and wrists. If you want a slightly less involved corkscrew, we also liked the Brabantia, which features a worm that pulls the cork out as it descends into it. 

What are the different types of wine openers?

There are many different kinds of corkscrews, including waiter's style corkscrews, twist models, lever models, winged models, and two-pronged models...the list is long. In short, we recommend waiter-style models since they are simple and effective.

Why We’re the Experts 

  • Grace Kelly is the associate commerce editor at Serious Eats. 
  • Prior to this, she tested equipment and ingredients for America’s Test Kitchen. She's worked as a journalist and has done stints as a cook and bartender. 
  • She has written dozens of reviews for Serious Eats, including petty knives and electric wine openers, among others. 
  • For this updated review, we opened 50 bottles of wine, examining the corkscrews' ease of use, speed, and comfort. 
  • We first tested wine corkscrews five years ago by having multiple people use each kind. For this most recent review, we re-tested our previous top picks and added a few new options.
Additional research by
Summer Rylander
Summer Brons Rylander Serious Eats

Summer Rylander is a freelance food and travel journalist based in Germany. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, The Kitchn, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Salon, HuffPost, and more.

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