To help you avoid some of the pitfalls involved, Palm Bay Imports has prepared the following easy-to-follow step-by-step guide.

1. Choose Your Weapon

Countless varieties of corkscrew exist, but two standbys commonly in restaurant use include:

The Claw (a.k.a. the "Waiter")
The Butler's Friend (a.k.a. the "Ah-So")
A small Swiss Army Knife can also come in handy.

2. Prepare for Arms!

Dust bottle carefully before presenting.

Remove capsule: if bottle is sealed with traditional lead or foil capsule, trim away top below lip of bottle neck, using Swiss Army knife if necessary. If plastic, look for pull-tab just below lip of bottle neck. And if bottle is sealed with wax, chip it away with Swiss Army knife.

Give bottle neck a quick wipe over: to remove dust, dirt or unsightly mold.

3. Take Aim and Fire!

The Claw: Insert point of spiral-shaped screw into center of cork, pressing down firmly. Gently twist in clockwise direction (exerting too much pressure might push the cork down inside the bottle). Place claw over lip of bottle neck and lever gently until cork is extracted.

The Butler's Friend: Ease longer of two metal prongs between outside of cork and inside of bottle neck. Gently lever to and from until cork is securely gripped between both prongs. Then give corkscrew a tug and twist around until cork is removed.

Corked

Bottle corked? It happens, as we say in the trade, though happily not too often. Suffice it to say that once in a blue moon a small amount of naturally occurring fungus present in the cork manages to evade an initial sterilization process. If the infected area then comes into contact with the wine, the wine will acquire an unpleasant, moldy odor.