Can I use it on champagne or prosecco?
Never. A bottle of sparkling wine holds its contents at several atmospheres, and the mushroom-shaped cork is held in by a wire cage precisely because the pressure inside is trying to push it out. Driving a screw into that cork does two dangerous things at once: it compromises the cork's integrity while the pressure is still behind it, and it removes your controlled grip on something that wants to leave the bottle at speed. A sparkling cork released without control is a genuine eye-injury hazard. The correct method is manual — keep a hand on the cork at all times, remove the cage without letting go, then twist the bottle rather than the cork and ease it out against your palm until it sighs rather than bangs.
Why does it struggle with some corks?
Three kinds give it trouble. Synthetic corks are the commonest problem: denser and springier than natural cork, they grip the glass harder and resist the screw rather than yielding, so the motor works far harder and sometimes stalls. Very long corks, used by some producers on bottles meant for ageing, can exceed the screw's travel, so the spiral reaches its limit before passing through the whole cork. And old, dry or crumbly corks break apart around the spiral rather than lifting out whole.
How do I stop it jamming?
Two habits. Hold the bottle firmly and keep the opener vertical and square to the neck, because an angled entry makes the screw bind. And with a cork you suspect is synthetic or stubborn, let the motor work at its own pace rather than pressing down hard — downward force is what causes it to jam. Cut the foil first as well: driving the screw through an intact capsule is another way to make an easy cork behave like a difficult one.
Mine will not take a charge any more. Can it be fixed?
Usually not, and the cause is usually storage. The battery is built into the opener rather than designed for easy replacement, so when the cells reach the end of their life the device usually does too. What shortens that life most is disuse — a wine opener is often bought as a gift, used enthusiastically for a month, then left in a cupboard for a year, and a rechargeable cell left fully discharged for a long period can fall below the voltage at which a charger will recognise it. Prevent it by keeping the opener on its base where it stays topped up, or charging it fully before putting it away and topping it up every few months. Store it at room temperature rather than in a garage, since heat and cold both age cells faster.
Is it actually better than a manual corkscrew?
Not faster. A good manual waiter's friend costs a fraction as much, lasts a lifetime, has nothing to charge and — as any sommelier will tell you — is quicker in practised hands. What the electric opener buys is effortlessness, which matters a great deal to someone with reduced grip or wrist strength and rather less to someone who enjoys the ritual. This is also a device with a motor and a fixed battery, so it is not an heirloom.
Is it a good gift?
It depends entirely on what the recipient drinks, and that is the thing to check before ordering. If they drink mostly modern wines sealed with synthetic corks or screw caps, this will spend its life on a shelf. If they drink wine under natural cork, it will be used constantly.
