We Opened Dozens of Bottles of Wine to Find the Best Electric Corkscrews

In 1795, Reverend Samuel Henshall patented the world’s first modern corkscrew; it had a simple (but effective) design comprised of a wooden, horizontal handle and a screw (back then, called a “worm”) with a concave wooden disk between them, which stopped the cork from inserting and breaking the seal of the cork in the bottleneck. 

Since then, a myriad of corkscrew styles have come about, with two of the most popular being the waiter- and wing-style corkscrews. But, both require decent hand strength and finger dexterity, which may be troublesome for those with mobility concerns. Enter the electric corkscrew. These rechargeable wine openers use a small motor to turn the screw as it enters the cork, pulling it out of the bottle. Most can last six to eight hours on a single charge (making them great for parties, too) and, depending on the corkscrew, can open between 30 and 60 bottles of wine before you have to plug them in. We opened bottle after bottle of wine to find out which openers were durable and easy to use. 

The Tests

• Opening Wine Test: We used each electric corkscrew to open a bottle of red wine (the same kind for each corkscrew), timing the process and comparing it to the time taken using our winning waiter-style corkscrew. We also noted ease of use and hand feel. 
• Durability Test (Winners-Only): We used our top electric corkscrews to open five bottles of wine in a row, noting if there was any difficulty. We also put our favorite corkscrew through the ringer by using it to open wine at a wedding with 50 guests.

What We Learned 

Most Electric Corkscrews Wiggle While They Work

Instead of sitting securely on top of a wine bottle, most of the electric corkscrews we tested wiggled; they felt loose, and it was hard to keep them steady on top of the bottle. This caused problems when the corkscrew inserted into the cork, often entering at an angle and causing the screw to scrape against the glass. The exception was the corkscrew from Peugeot; it wiggled the least and, more often than not, went in fairly straight. The Oster and Cuisinart Electric Wine Opener also did a decent job most of the time, though they were definitely more wiggly. 

Buttons Were a Good Thing 

Most of the electric corkscrews we tested had two buttons: a down button to insert the corkscrew and remove the cork, and an up button to push the cork out the corkscrew when done. We liked this more than automatic corkscrews like the Rabbit, which was pressure-sensitive (read: if you push down onto a bottle with the corkscrew it automatically starts). Having buttons (that started when pressed and stopped when released) helped us steady the corkscrew and have more control over the process. However, while our winner didn’t have up or down buttons, it still required you to push down on the device to start, but if you eased up on the pressure, it stopped—it was kind of a giant button, in effect.

However, Automatic Starts Were Very Bad

The Rabbit corkscrew started automatically with the slightest hint of pressure, making it tricky to time it right. If you so much as nudged the bottle with the bottom, it started the cork extraction process (complete with cork extrusion cycle at the end) and there was no way to stop it. There were no buttons or features that let you control what was happening, which we disliked. 

Speed and Number of Bottles Per Charge Were Added Bonuses 

While some corkscrews were faster than others, it was by a small amount, and we didn’t mind waiting a few milliseconds more for a corkscrew to finish. That said, our winner was the fastest of the bunch, and at more than $100, we would expect it to be.

But when it comes to bottles per charge, unless you’re hosting a real humdinger of a party and opening 30-plus bottles of wine, most of these electric corkscrews will last a while before needing to be charged. 

Separate Foil Cutters Were a Nice Addition

All of the electric corkscrews, save for the Rabbit, came with separate foil cutters. To use them, you place the doodad on top of the wine bottle, turn it, and it cleanly cuts through the foil. We preferred these (even if we’d probably lose them, if we’re honest) over the supposed “built-in” one on the Rabbit, which didn’t remove the foil but rather just punctured through it, leaving a jagged mess behind. And if you lose your cutter, you can always just use a standard waiter-style corkscrew cutter to remove the foil first.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Good Electric Wine Opener

We preferred corkscrews that didn't have automatic starts (up and down buttons or an intuitive pressure function were best) and that inserted into the cork straight, without much wiggling. Fast corkscrews were also nice, though not a dealbreaker.

Our Favorite Electric Wine Bottle Openers

The Best Overall Electric Wine Opener

Peugeot Elis Touch Electric Corkscrew

$125 at Amazon $128 at Walmart View on Peugeot-saveurs.com

What we liked: With an intuitive user interface and a strong lithium-ion battery-powered motor that removed corks quickly and easily, this fancy corkscrew lived up to its price tag. We also thought it was the most stable of the bunch: the corkscrew entered the cork easily and in the center pretty much every time—no crumbling corks to be seen. 

What we didn’t like: At over $100, this is one pricey electric corkscrew.

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 Best Budget Electric Wine Opener

Cuisinart Electric Wine Opener

$29 at Amazon $29 at Walmart $30 at Macy's

What we liked: This was a stylish, sleek electric wine opener that featured up and down buttons, making it very easy and intuitive to use. It claims to be able to remove up to 50 bottles per charge, which is on the high end, and it also was decently fast at removing the cork, taking around 10.7 seconds to remove it. 

What we didn’t like: It sometimes went into the cork on the side or at an angle, but if held straight and tight, this wasn’t as much of a problem.

Key Specs

• Weight: 2 lbs
• Materials: Stainless steel
• Dimensions: 3.5 x 4.75 x 10 inches
• Circumference: 6 7/8 inches
• Bottles opened per charge: 50
• Power source: Plug in to charge
• Time to remove cork: 10.7 seconds
• What comes with it: Charger base, cord, and foil cutter

Alternative Budget Pick

Oster Electric Wine Opener

$25 at Amazon

What we liked: This was a lightweight corkscrew that inserted straight into the center of the cork, most of the time. We liked the accouterments that came with the expanded wine kit, including two cork stoppers and a wine spout for pouring.

What we didn’t like: It occasionally would wobble and insert on an angle into the cork, grating against the glass. It was the second slowest opener, taking around 11.31 seconds to remove the cork from the bottle. The up and down buttons also required little effort to press and engage.

Key Specs

• Weight: 1 lb
• Materials: Plastic
• Dimensions: 5.51 x 14.96 x 5.32 inches
• Circumference: 6.5 inches
• Bottles opened per charge: 30
• Power source: Plug in to charge
• Time to remove cork: 11.31 seconds
• What comes with it: Charger base, cord, foil cutter (expanded wine kit comes also with two bottle stoppers and a pouring spout)
  

The Competition

• Rabbit Automatic Electric Corkscrew Wine Bottle Opener: This electric corkscrew disappointed from the get-go; we took it out of its packaging and it immediately started even though there was no wine bottle in reach. This proved to be a constant problem since the corkscrew is pressure-activated and starts at the slightest touch. Plus, there’s no way to stop it; instead, you have to wait as it runs through the entire cycle—including ejecting the cork from the device—before it finally winds down. It was also the slowest of the bunch, taking nearly 14 seconds to remove the cork. It's also around double the price of our budget picks and has worse performance.
• Secura Electric Wine Opener, Automatic Electric Wine Bottle Corkscrew Opener with Foil Cutter: While we liked that you could see the cork emerging from the bottle with this corkscrew (it had a clear plastic bottom part), it was quite wobbly and the screw inserted into the cork at an angle more often than not. 
• Cuisinart Vacuum Sealer Cordless Wine Opener: We liked the grippy coated top part of this wine opener and the buttons made it easy to control. However, we found it to be quite wobbly and had issues with the screw inserting on the side of the cork rather than through the center.
  

FAQs

How do electric wine openers work? 

Many consist of a screw inside the device, which descends into the cork when a button is pushed. As the screw goes through the cork, it lifts the cork out of the bottle and into the corkscrew. 

How do you use an electric wine opener?

The answer depends on the style of wine opener, but most are either push-down style (e.g. you push down on the top of the doodad when it's on top of the bottle, and this activates its motor) or have a button that you can press to get it started. With either model, the first step is to remove any metal cover from the top of the bottle, then place the corkscrew over the cork. Either press down on top or press and hold the button, and guide the corkscrew down with your hand. As you do this, it will extract the cork.

How do you remove a cork from an electric corkscrew?

Most electric corkscrews feature a button that pushes the cork out of the device. 

Can you use an electric wine opener with a synthetic cork?

Yes! We actually used wines with both natural and synthetic corks during our tests. The best electric wine openers opened both kinds of cork with ease.

How long do electric wine openers take to charge?

This varies between wine openers, but some, like the Oster, take around six hours to fully charge, while the Peugeot only takes about two-and-a-half hours.

Why We're the Experts

• Grace Kelly is an 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 also done stints as a cook and bartender. 
• She has written dozens of reviews for Serious Eats, including petty knives, tinned fish, fish spatulas, and tortilla presses, among others. 
• For this review, we tested six electric corkscrews by using each to open a bottle of red wine (the same brand, to minimize cork variation) and timed the process. We then used our favorites to open five bottles of wine in a row to test durability, and we even used our winner to open wine at a wedding with 50 guests.