Have you ever managed to accidentally lodge a cork inside a wine bottle? Fear not, for it isn’t lost forever. With a the use of some items you likely have lying around the house, you can recover that pesky cork and regain the use of your bottle.
Supplies
- Your bottle with lodged cork
- A length of gift wrapping ribbon, ~8 inches
- Some water
- A wine opener (as backup)
Steps
First, fill your wine bottle with hot water. You’ll want the water line to be up into the neck of the bottle slightly, this will give our cork access to the way out. Using hot water, instead of cold, will seep into the cork quicker and allow it to soften. If it’s too stiff, it will get stuck in the neck of the bottle. Let that soak for a bit in order to soften the cork.
Next, you’ll want to take your ribbon, and make a loop with it. Push this loop into the neck of the bottle until it is into the main body of the bottle. Make sure you are continuing to hold onto the ends of the ribbon as you do this. You may have to tip or shift the bottle around to move the cork out of the way, as it will float toward the neck.
Once your loop is in position, nice and open, tip/shift the bottle to get the cork to float upright into the neck. You should be able to pull your loop up until it is tight against the bottom of the cork, with each half of the loop on either side of the cork. This can take a little manipulating to achieve, especially with thinner ribbon. But once accomplished, you should be able to start pulling the cork tight into the neck of the bottle.
Continue pulling the cork up. If you had let it soften enough, this should allow you to pull the cork completely out of the bottle. If, however, your ribbon snaps, or comes loose from the bottom, don’t worry. You can easily push the cork back in and try again, or if you’re past the point of no return, it should be fair enough up the neck that you can use a wine opener to pull the cork out the rest of the way.
