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

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

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 Winners, at a Glance

The Best Overall Electric Wine Opener: Peugeot Elis Touch Electric Corkscrew

Also available at Walmart.

Even though it didn’t have up and down buttons, we liked the look and feel of this corkscrew. It requires the user to push down on the device, which compresses it and activates the corkscrew (when you stop pushing, it stops). To remove the cork from the device, you press down on a large button on the top. It was a powerful corkscrew that didn’t wiggle like other ones we tested; it also removed corks the fastest, in around 9.56 seconds. The one big downside: it’s quite expensive for an electric corkscrew. 

The Best Budget Electric Wine Opener: Cuisinart Electric Wine Opener

Also available at Home Depot, Cuisinart, Walmart, Macy's, and Kohls.

This was a nice-looking electric corkscrew that did the job well. We liked the up and down buttons, which gave us some control. It was relatively fast, removing corks in around 10.7 seconds (a little over 1-second slower than our winner) and at around $30, it’s a reasonable price. Our one qualm with it is that it does wiggle a little bit when you push it into the cork, sometimes causing the screw to go in at an angle and grate against the side of the bottleneck.

Alternative Budget Pick: Oster Electric Wine Opener and Foil Cutter 

Also available at Home Depot, Target, Walmart and Oster.

At around $25 at the time of testing, this was a solid pick that entered the wine bottle nice and straight (at least, most of the time) and easily removed the cork. And for an extra $10, you can get the wine kit which includes two cork stoppers, a foil cutter, and a wine spout for smooth pours—a lot of bang for your buck.

The Tests

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

• 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 45 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 

The up and down buttons (like the ones on the Cuisinart Electric Wine Opener, pictured here) made it easy and intuitive to use.Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

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 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

There were no buttons on the Rabbit corkscrew, and the automatic start made it difficult to time right.Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

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 Bonus

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

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’s cutter to remove the foil first.

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

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

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.

The Best Overall Electric Wine Opener: Peugeot Elis Touch Electric Corkscrew

Also available at Walmart.

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. 

Price at time of publish: $104.

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
• Time to remove cork: 9.5 seconds
• What comes with it: Charger base, cord, and foil cutter

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

The Best Budget Electric Wine Opener: Cuisinart Electric Wine Opener

Also available at Home Depot, Cuisinart, Walmart, Macy's, and Kohls.

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.   

Price at time of publish: $30.

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
• Time to remove cork: 10.7 seconds
• What comes with it: Charger base, cord, and foil cutter

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Alternative Budget Pick: Oster Electric Wine Opener and Foil Cutter Kit

Also available at Home Depot, Target, Walmart, and Oster.

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. 

Price at time of publish: $25 for basic kit, $35 for expanded kit.

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
• 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)
  

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

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. 
• Secura Electric Wine Opener, Automatic Electric Wine Bottle Corkscrew Opener with Foil Cutter: While we liked that you could actually 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 since it featured buttons it was 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 corkscrews 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 remove a cork from an electric corkscrew?

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