A champagne and sparkling wines cork extractor and its associate method for removing the cork are described including a first gripping member and a second gripping member having flanges that engage the bottle and sliding jaw members that grip the portion of the cork extending out from the neck of the bottle. The jaws slide in a channel defined in the head portions of each of the opposing gripping members. An extractor lever is connected to the sliding jaws and includes a contact plate that is positioned over the cork to prevent the cork from ejecting from the bottle in an uncontrolled manner. The extractor lever is pivotally connected to one of the gripping members for moving the jaws. A locking mechanism fixes the position of the first and second gripping members when the handles are closed to engage the cork and bottle.