You booked the AirBnb, packed your favorite weekend clothes, grabbed a nice bottle of wine, and hit the road. After a few hours of driving, you’re all settled in your cozy AirBnb, there’s a fire burning in the fireplace, and you’re ready to pop open that wine bottle and pour yourself a nice glass of Cabernet.

And that’s when you realize you have no wine bottle opener. Ouch!

We’ve all been there, and we’ve all probably tried some crazy things to get that bottle open. So, if you’re reading this blog with an unopened wine bottle by your side—we’ve got you covered. In today’s KnowWines blog, we share a few successful methods for opening a wine bottle without an opener.

Before we start problem solving, though, a little bit about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, our podcast, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

What tools will I need to open a bottle of wine without an opener?

If you ask around, you’ll hear all kinds of cooky methods & tools for opening wine bottles, from bike pumps to boots. For this article, we’re assuming minimal access to things like bike pumps. Instead, we’re sharing ways to open a wine bottle with easy-to-find household items. Specifically:

a thick-bottomed shoe
a key
a long-handled wooden kitchen spoon
a lighter

With each of these methods, you’ll need to use a knife (or your fingernails) to remove the foil or wax from the top of the bottle, thus exposing the cork that you’re trying to remove!

How to Open a Wine Bottle with a Shoe

This is a pretty wild method for opening a bottle of wine, but there are dozens of online videos (and hundreds of firsthand accounts) to tell you that it actually works. If you choose to use this method, though, be sure to use a thick-bottomed shoe so that you don’t end up with a broken bottle of wine (and a big mess). Also, choose a wall that doesn’t have neighbors on the other side of it!

This video shows you how to open a wine bottle with a shoe:

How to Open a Wine Bottle with a Key

This method is a pretty smart one, and since you almost always have keys on you, it’s also a good one to know about. The key with this method is to be sure that the key is inserted at an angle. This will allow you to turn the cork in such a way that it shimmies up the sides of the bottle’s neck, eventually far enough that you can pull it out yourself.

Here’s a video to show you how to open a wine bottle with a key:

How to Open a Wine Bottle with a Wooden Spoon

This method is probably the simplest one of the bunch; all you need is a long-handled wooden kitchen spoon. To free the cork, simply place the end of the spoon on the top of the cork and push down (we recommend sitting in a chair with the bottle between your legs). With enough pressure, the cork will be pushed down into the bottle. With this method, you won’t be able to retrieve the cork, so if you like to collect corks to display later, this isn’t the method for you! Also, be aware that wine can splash out of the bottle if the cork is pressed into the bottle too forcefully—so stay away from carpet and think about what you’re wearing before you get started.

Watch this video to see the wooden spoon bottle opening method in action:

How to Open a Wine Bottle with a Lighter

As with all of the other methods, be sure to remove the foil or wax around the bottle so that the cork is exposed. Then, use a lighter to apply heat to the neck of the bottle, just beneath the cork. You’re not trying to heat up the cork itself, but rather the air underneath it. The heated air will expand and eventually, this expansion will start to push the cork up so that you can remove it by hand.

Watch this video to see the lighter method in action:

What kind of wine opener should I travel with?

We hope that you have your bottle of wine opened by now and are enjoying your first glass. If so, you’ll probably agree that each of these methods—though handy when you’re in a jam—aren’t ideal for opening a great bottle of wine. A traditional wine key or other wine bottle opener is definitely your best bet. This might be a good time, then, to think about purchasing a wine opener specifically for travel! If you’re traveling by plane, current TSA guidelines probably won’t allow a wine key on board, but if you’re traveling by car, here are a couple of compact and easy-to-use wine openers definitely fit the bill: