1. Find a stable surface to put your bottle on, and hold it firmly. To remove the capsule (the covering over the cork) use a small knife — waiter's corkscrews come equipped with their own — cut around the capsule just below the lip of the bottle, and remove the top part of the capsule.

2. Now comes the crucial yet tricky part: inserting the worm (screw). To avoid breaking the cork, or worse, the bottle, it's important to get the worm as close to the center of the cork as possible. If you are working with a waiter's corkscrew, hold the worm horizontal to the cork and locate the cork's center with the tip. Tilt the corkscrew to the vertical position and begin turning, making sure to keep the corkscrew very straight. You don't want to drill your worm all the way through.

3. Once the worm is in the cork, gently ease it out bit by bit. Waiter's corkscrews come with a lever that fits over the lip of the bottle. Hold this down with one thumb while you ease the cork out with your other hand.

4. After the cork is out, check to make sure no dust that could be pushed into the wine has collected on the lip of the bottle. Then wipe by dipping your cloth-covered finger just slightly inside the lip.

*Tips from Kathleen Donnelly, Seattle