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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
The Le Creuset Classic Metal Foil Cutter is our best overall option, because it was our tester's favorite. It's easy to use and durable, and it makes perfectly clean cuts. For a budget option, you can't beat the two-pack YWQ Magnetic Wine Cutters, which also got our tester's seal of approval.
Opening a bottle of wine has its risks. Even the professionals, who make it look entirely effortless, can fall prey to a sharp edge after making their swift and precise cuts into the foil. Most sommeliers and bartenders simply use the small, often serrated, knife built into their wine key to make a clean cut just below the lip. If you’re drinking or serving wine at home, a good-quality foil cutter can make this process both safer and seamless.
“Foil can be a pain (sometimes literally) as its edges can be sharp when not cut correctly,” says James Sparks, winemaker for Liquid Farm and owner of Kings Carey Wines in Santa Barbara, California. “Jagged edges are not only unsafe, but they're also sort of an eyesore. Having a foil cutter on hand ensures that the foil is properly trimmed for safety reasons, plus it simply looks nicer when you bring that bottle to the table. Even if it’s just for yourself, a nice cut around the top just looks more presentable."
We researched top-rated wine foil cutters in a variety of designs and price points and sent them to our expert product tester, who is also a sommelier, so they could be evaluated side by side. Each one was rated on ease of use, performance, durability, and value.
Here are our best wine foil cutters, complete with a few tips from the experts.
Best Overall
Le Creuset Black Nickel Foilcutter
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Amazon
Easy to use
Stylish design
Durable
High-quality material
Expensive
Le Creuset is a trusted name in the culinary world, and its classic metal foil cutter is regarded as one of the best in the business—and our tester agreed. This is an excellent piece to have at home, thanks to its sleek, ergonomic design (the shape is reminiscent of a fortune cookie) and ultra-sharp four-wheel system that neatly slices into foil with a simple twist of the wrist.
The Le Creuset foil cutter is nickel-plated, and made from high-quality materials. Our tester found that the device is pleasantly heavy in the hand, and the hinged design is easy to use. The sleek design of this black foil cutter will work well in any kitchen or bar. While it's easy to lose a wine foil cutter in a drawer, this is one you will want to display on a bar. To put it simply: "This was my favorite one," our tester declared after testing all of the models.
Price at time of publish: $34
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
Dimensions: 3.6 x 3.7 x 2.1 inches︱Materials: Nickle-plated metal︱Weight: 0.4 Pounds
"Easy to use and pleasant to hold, this is a quality product from a legacy brand." — Madeline Muzzi, Product Tester
Best Six-Blade
Wine Enthusiast 6-Blade Foil Cutter
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Wine Enthusiast
High-quality material
Sleek design
Six blades
Good value
No storage solution
Solidly constructed and equipped with six razor-sharp circular blades, the Wine Enthusiast six-blade foil cutter means business. Just place, twist, and remove, repeating as necessary. Our tester liked that this foil cutter fits nicely in the palm of your hand. The hinge mechanism makes it easy to close, and it rests nicely on the rim of the bottle.
Collectors would do well to keep this tool on hand at home. It also makes for a great accompaniment to any wine-adjacent gift, no matter the occasion. It has a durable, smooth design. Be careful with storage; this device rests in an open position and may get tangled up in a drawer.
Price at time of publish: $20
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
Dimensions: 3/4" H X 2 1/3" W X 2 1/3" D︱Materials: Stainless steel and plastic︱Weight: 3 oz
"This is an intuitive product with a sleek design. The simple stainless steel form will last for years, but be careful with storage. This cutter rests in an open position and could get tangled up in a drawer." — Madeline Muzzi, Product Tester
Best Magnetic
Cork Pops Magnetic Grape Foil Cutter
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Amazon
Great for gifting
Easy to use
Affordable
Plastic material may break if not stored properly
Larger than other models
For those with a playful sense of design, the Cork Pops Magnetic Grape foil cutter doubles as a decorative magnet. Keep this tool on your refrigerator, and you’ll never have to go looking for it when it’s time to open a bottle. To use, just lay the opener flat over a bottle, pinch to close, and twist. The plastic material requires little force to close, and four sharp blades seamlessly remove the foil.
Of all of the non-levered foil cutters that our tester tried, this was the easiest to pinch closed by hand. And while the materials may not be of the highest quality, it removed foil easily and effectively. Plus, it comes at an affordable price and would make a fun gift for the whimsical wine lovers in your life.
Price at time of publish: $9
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
Dimensions: 3 x 3.5 x 0.75 inches︱Material: Plastic︱Weight: 1.58 ounces
"The novelty shape might not be for everyone, but the magnetic storage means that you'll never have to go digging through a drawer to find this." — Madeline Muzzi, Product Tester
Best Multitasker
Vacu Vin Arch Foil Cutter
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Courtesy of Amazon
Doubles as cork holder
Stays in place
Affordable
Requires some strength to use
Taller profile may make storage difficult
The Vacu Vin Arch Foil Cutter offers a multitasking design that makes it stand out from the others on this list—it's designed to hold the cork after your bottle is open. This foil cutter can rest on top of a bottle of wine without being held in place, but it does require a firm pinch to make a cut. To use, squeeze closed and twist to remove the foil with its four rotating blades. Once your bottle is open, you can rest the cork on the top of this device. The cork can either be displayed on the table or kept safe until it’s needed to close the bottle up again.
Our tester noted that it's not suited for people with limited mobility, because of the effort it takes to pinch, but she liked that it was easier to hold in place than some other non-hinge models. It features stainless steel cutting blades, but the device itself is plastic.
Price at time of publish: $11
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
Dimensions: 1.75 x 2 x 1.5 inches︱Materials: Plastic with metal blades︱Weight: 0.05 Pounds
"After opening the bottle, you can use this foil cutter to display the cork while you drink your bottle." — Madeline Muzzi, Product Tester
Best Gift
Viski Heavyweight Wine Bottle Foil Cutter
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Courtesy of Viski
Easy-to-use hinge
High-quality material
Stylish design
Durable
Expensive
Calling all aesthetically inclined wine enthusiasts: Viski’s gleaming copper-plated foil cutter is just the tool for you. To use this eye-catching device, just place it on top of your bottle, and then squeeze lightly and twist until you’ve cut through the foil. This foil cutter features a hinged design that makes it easy to close with little to no force required. Our tester found that holding it in place was easy and described the metal as pleasantly heavy in the palm.
One note: At first glance, you may think this should be used vertically. It's actually meant to be used horizontally, but that becomes clear quickly.
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
Dimensions: 0.63 x 1.25 x 2.15 inches︱Materials: Copper︱Weight: 0.14 Pounds
"This sleek copper-plated foil opener would be a stylish gift for wine-lovers or new homeowners." — Madeline Muzzi, Product Tester
Best Budget
YWQ Magnetic Foil Cutter
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Courtesy of Amazon
Affordable
Small
Magnetic storage
Two in a pack
Slightly flimsy plastic construction
Requires some grip to close
For the best bang for your buck, look no further than this magnetic two-pack of foil cutters by YWQ. With simple construction, an easy-to-grip design, and four razor-sharp wheels, cutting foil is an absolute breeze. You’ll never lose track of where you put these trusty foil cutters, as they're made to live on the side of your fridge or wine chiller. Best of all, the affordable set comes with a lifetime warranty, so you can buy with complete confidence.
Our tester found that it was pretty easy to pinch closed, but not as comfortable as a hinged model. Magnetic storage gives you the option to keep it on the fridge, but it's not necessarily a beautiful design, so some may not want to display it. Overall, it's an unbeatable value and gets the job done.
Price at time of publish: $7
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
Dimensions: 5.16 x 1.93 x 0.63 inches︱Materials: Plastic and metal blades︱Weight: 1.13 ounces
"This foil cutter comes in a pack of two, making it an unbeatable value. It’s easy to grip and hold, but those with limited mobility may prefer a model with a hinge that doesn’t need to be held shut by hand." — Madeline Muzzi, Product Tester
The Le Creuset Classic Metal Foil Cutter is our top pick for its ergonomic, effective design that looks good in any kitchen or on any bar top. You also can't go wrong with YWQ Magnetic Wine Cutters. This two-pack is a perfect budget pick and performed well in testing. Plus, you can store these wine cutters on your fridge, because they're magnetic.
How We Tested
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
We sent seven wine foil cutters to the home of our product tester and sommelier to evaluate side by side. She used each one to open multiple bottles of wine and rated them on ease of use, performance, durability, and overall value. She also factored in how easy they were to store and whom they might be best suited for.
Other Options We Tested
- Rabbit Wine Bottle Foil Cutter: Best known for its wine openers, Rabbit also sells an affordable foil cutter that features a sleek, slim design that makes for space-saving storage (although it's almost too small—it could get lost easily in a drawer). While it's an okay budget option, our tester found that it takes quite a bit of hand strength to use. You have to squeeze, hold it in place, and turn the bottle to get a cut. Because you’re holding while squeezing, it can be difficult to hold it level and get a clean cut. "It’s very small and takes some force to bend the metal and close it. I didn’t get a very clean cut on all my bottles," our tester reported.
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
What to Look for in a Wine Foil Cutter
Cutting Blade
Besides a high-quality blade made of stainless steel that does not dull quickly, the number of blades, their shape, and their position are also important considerations when choosing a wine foil cutter. Rounded or circular blades or a four-wheel or six-wheel blade system tackle the foil in several places and allow you to make a clean, neat cut.
Handling
The foil cutter should be easy to grip. A sleek, elegant look and an ergonomic design don’t always go hand in hand. Make the easy handling of the wine foil cutter the primary criterion. It should not be necessary to apply much pressure to remove the foil; a simple twist of the wrist should do the job.
Convenience
If you are reluctant to add yet another tool to your wine accessories collection, there are alternatives to a stand-alone wine foil cutter. Consider a dual-purpose corkscrew with a built-in wine foil cutter. A wine foil cutter that fits in your pocket also comes in handy. There are other special features for convenience, such as a magnetic wine foil cutter that can be put within reach on your refrigerator door, saving you from rummaging through kitchen drawers to find it. Some products come in a set of two so that you'll always have one wine foil cutter on hand in case you misplace the other.
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
FAQs
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The Spruce Eats / Madeline Muzzi
What is a wine foil cutter?
A wine foil cutter is a tool to remove the protective foil around the spout of wine bottles, which is made of plastic, poly-laminate, aluminum, or tin. The wine foil cutter cuts into the foil to remove it.
How do you use a wine foil cutter?
Place the cutter on top of the bottle. Twist the cutter so the blades on its underside cut the foil on the top of the wine bottle, which removes a circular piece of foil; the rest of the foil around the neck of the bottle remains in place.
What is a screwpull wine foil cutter?
A screwpull wine foil cutter is both a corkscrew for opening wine bottles and a wine foil cutter, combined into one tool.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Céline Bossart is a longtime wine writer with many open bottles under her belt. Admittedly, she'll often pull the foil off in one piece when opening a casual bottle at home, but for every other occasion, a great heavy wine key and her Wine Enthusiast foil cutter are her two weapons of choice.
Madeline Muzzi is a Certified Sommelier and freelance lifestyle writer. Her writing has appeared on sites such as Eater, Heated, and Elemental, and her videos have been published on The Cut and in The New Yorker. She personally tested every wine foil cutter on this list.
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