First time posting here. This is how I open up the wrapper. There are two little holes and I stick the knife tip in one and opens nice and clean. I’ve seen many many people use the edge of the knife and run it along the side of the glass.
That makes me cringe because it dulls the blade really quick and I never found that to be effective when I try it. It never makes a clean cut.
Am I wrong??? How do you guys do it?
by betterarchitects
23 Comments
It doesn’t really matter…do whatever if easiest/works best for you. Technically speaking for proper wine service in a restaurant or smthn like that this would be wrong tho but who cares
That’s a pretty clean job for doing it incorrectly. The little holes are not intended for that. The correct way IS to run the blade along the bottom ridge of the lip and then peel off – I like to make a vertical slit from the bottom cut up the side to help it peel away rather than start shredding the foil.
Do not worry about the blade going dull. That wine key will either break or get lost far sooner than you will ever dull it down to being unusable.
My credentials: I have easily opened more than 25k bottles of wine in my life.
Hold the knife beneath the lip of the bottle, then twist the bottle cutting the capsule and lift the knife once you’ve come around 360 degrees. But mostly I just yoink it off entirely aha
(Using any knife will inevitably dull it but that is what they’re for)
You can just twist them off with your hand
You shouldn’t ever be pressing the blade into it hard enough to be actually pushing against the glass.
Restaurant service etiquette is generally to run the tip of the blade 2/3 of the way around the neck (under the lip) and then 2/3 of the way around the other direction from the same starting point, then cut up diagonally. The top of the foil is then easy to remove using the flat part of the blade through that slit.
For wine you’re drinking at home, who cares. Twist the whole capsule off if you want or just cut it vertically along the whole way to peel it off.
There was some meme on here years ago about this guy who gorilla gripped it and ripped it off. It’s actually my go to. I think from a som standpoint you hold just below the foil with one hand and keep the label facing who you serve them use the other hand to cut one way then another against the glass right under the lip at the top *I may also be totally wrong, but by posting the wrong info I’m bound to have someone come correct me with the right way
I prefer under the second lip. The thought of little bits of foil coming off in my wine when poured skeeves me out.
I personally have a little plastic thing with 2 curved blades inside of it that you can put over the top of the bottle, squeeze, and spin around a few times. It cuts the foil off at the top of the lip very easily and neatly.
I messed around with this for years trying to do it the “proper” way. I eventually gave up and bought a $30 foil cutter: https://www.lecreuset.com/metal-foil-cutter-black-nickel/49464000006001.html.
Now I just set that think on the wine bottle, give it a quarter twist, and pull up. Perfect cut every time. Maybe more talented people than I will look down on me for it, but I am absolutely not above using technology to make my life easier. 🙂
Run the tip of the blade below the lip, not the whole blade. Doesn’t shred the foil, much cleaner cut.
The standard of service is under the lip.
Lol guess I’m the only one who just puts the corkscrew in and deals with the wrapper after I pull the cork out.
Foils used to be made from lead. Makes sense to cut it far below the lip. It’s traditional and separates you from the rest.
I just pull it off usually, it’s the easiest. Some bottles might be too tight for that but usually pulling and twisting gets the job done with minimal effort. Caring too much about the *technique* feels a bit pretentious for a day to day bottle
This is controversial.
I like the top rim but properly is suppose to be bottom rim but there are people who insist both are right and wrong…
I just turn the corkscrew through it and clean up the rim after I have taken the cork out.
Why do you care about dulling the blade if you aren’t cutting with it anyways? I don’t mess with cutting it, I just pull the whole thing off
I hate how wrong but clean that cut is….it’s like a piece of art
Pull it off. Works on pretty much all bottles except for Italian ones or others that have a sticker around the foil.
I usually just pull the wrapper off whole. These days they’re often not very well attached
I just pull the sleave off the top all in one, takes less time and no foil.
Agreed on remove the whole foil. Much easier! BTW What wine is that?
The lower lip/edge is where you are supposed to remove it. The capsules used to contain lead, which is why one would historically need to cut below the lip. (Fun fact: Merry Edwards, the first woman to graduate from UC Davis, did her thesis on this and pissed off a LOT of people).
When tending bar I just pull the foil cap off or use my foil knife to run a vertical slit for easy removal, as I’ve flayed my hand open more than enough times behind the bar.
Another pertinent tip: when dealing with a waxed bottle, one should just push the corkscrew through the wax and open normally. Do not ever try to remove the wax beforehand.