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All kinds of substances have been stored in corked
containers: beer, medicine, ink, perfume, cosmetics, cleaners and food. The
English were the first to seal wine bottles, using cork imported from Spain
or Portugal.
Corkscrews were invented as an easy way of removing the
cork from a bottle. Inspired by a tool called the bulletscrew, or gun worm,
a device that extracted stuck bullets from rifles. The first corkscrew was,
no doubt, a simple device with a wooden handle with a pointed and curled
piece of steel. The steel was turned into the cork and brute force was used
to lift the cork.
Since then, many improvements have been made to the
traditional corkscrew design. Some provide more leverage for pulling out the
cork, while others emphasize more torque during twisting.
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 The
Waiters Friend corkscrew is a single lever corkscrew often used
by a sommelier, regularly opening wine bottles. The worm is
twisted into the cork and a side-mounted lever aids lifting the
cork out in one fluid motion. This corkscrew folds into a neat
little package that fits in a pocket when not in use. |
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 Another favourite is the Screwpull corkscrew, which was
developed by Herbert Allen, a prolific inventor. His work began
in 1975 after his wife challenged him to produce a corkscrew
that would extract the cork effortlessly and perfectly every
time. He designed an instant hit – a corkscrew that fitted over
the neck of a bottle with a Teflon coated screw which was easily
driven into and through the cork, thus ensuring the cork is
removed intact without pulling.
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 Replicating
the effectiveness of the traditional double action wooden
corkscrew has been another recent development. Updated into a
strong modern steel corkscrew, it is well engineered and its
double screw-barrel principle makes extracting a cork simple and
effortless. After opening a bottle, the cork is simply ejected
from the corkscrew.
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 Next,
is the Italian designed double lever action corkscrew. This
two-winged corkscrew is a device that uses a gear and rack
mechanism to turn the wings upwards as the worm drills into the
cork. The user steadies the bottle on a table and presses down
on both wings and the cork is pulled straight out by the gear
mechanism.
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 There
are also a number of lever model corkscrews available today.
Most are designed with a clamp to hold the neck of the bottle in
the corkscrew for ease of handling. Typically, the lever arm
swings over the top and extracts the cork in a few easy
movements. This lever arm geared action ensures every cork is
extracted quickly and effortlessly.
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 Then,
there’s the ultimate corkscrew, a lever model with “Rotary”
technology! Specifically designed for removing all types of
corks, including synthetic corks. It's quick and simple to use –
2 quick lever actions and the cork is out of the bottle – 2 more
and the cork is pushed out of the corkscrew.
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Some wine experts estimate that pulling a cork out of a
bottle with a corkscrew requires the same force as lifting 100 pounds!
However, using a good corkscrew correctly can ease the removal and prevent
some of the most common wine-opening hazards:
- Digging out too much of the cork may lead to contamination of the
bottle
- Twisting the worm completely through the centre of an older cork
could lead to damage while pulling and problems with pieces in the wine
- The pulling action should not shake up the bottle to avoid
disturbing any sediment
We hope the information we’ve provided here will help you
make the decision to buy the corkscrew that will suit you the best.
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