It happens to the best of us. You pull out your favorite bottle of red and the corkscrew mangles the cork into tiny wooden crumbles floating atop the wine inside. Or the cork refuses to budge, no matter how hard you pull—the stubborn little stopper challenging your manhood in front of your date. Save yourself the time and trouble with a mechanical wine opener, which removes the cork (in less than ten seconds) with a simple push of a button, up to 80 corks on one charge. There's even a built-in foil cutter. What better innovation to bring along, whether you're sipping on a boat, at a barbeque or just in your own backyard.

$39, at Amazon

• Before corks were used to seal bottles, French wineries stuffed oil-soaked rags into the necks of wine bottles.