Opening & Closing Thoughts part 1

Do you remember the corkscrews of old? They screwed right into the cork just fine, but required a deft hand and considerable strength to yank the stopper out without damaging the cork, bottle, or your guests at the table. I even had one on my first Swiss Army Knife.

Did they really think you could pull a cork with that? Don't get me wrong -- it is a valuable addition to a survival kit and has many real uses beyond cracking open a Barolo while camping.

The corkscews/openers of our modern age have evolved by leaps and bounds. Here a few examples:

The basic "waiter's friend"

Finally! Some engineer/wine drinker got tired of using the non-leverage version and came up with something that almost always works.

Even better is the hinged prong version that stresses the wrist less.

This is my new favorite (thankful to Elizabeth and Bennett for the re-gifting). If you're opening bottles regularly, this is well worth the money. For starters, the base can be suctioned to the counter using the black plate as a pump. The two horizontal bars gently grasp the bottle neck while you perform a simple over and back maneuver with the single bar on the right. Voila! The screw is inserted and removed with little strain or effort. Remove the bottle and then repeat the clasping and over and back to remove the cork from the screw. I love this thing! A nifty foil cutter fits neatly into a small space in the upright.

Next week I'll cover closures.