Last week, Amie and I ordered a bottle of wine at a restaurant.
The server came over, bottle in hand, and chiseled away at the aluminum bottle cover. He cut a ring around it, but not deep enough, because the cap wouldn't come off. Then he jabbed at the top of it and peeled away a few flecks of foil.
Meanwhile, we were sitting there silently, waiting and watching.
At last, he got enough of the cover off to remove the cork, poured us some and left.
I sat there wondering why he'd gone to all the time and effort when there's a much easier way to get the cover off ...
Most wine bottle caps are made of some kind of aluminum, a thicker version than straight aluminum foil. They're not glued onto the glass, just wrapped tightly around it.
To remove the cap, just get a firm grip on it, briefly twist left and right and then yank it off. No need to fuss with knives and such. I discovered this in a bout of frustration with a particularly resistant cap. I got pissed with it and, in my rage, slid it off.
If this is something you already know, my apologies for wasting your time. But everyone who has seen me do it has said something like 'Oh, I didn't know that slid off.' So now you know.
This trick works best with the thicker aluminum caps, which are on most corked bottles. The thinner ones can be a bit tougher to get off.
Voila!
(Photos by me)