I know this has been discussed in the past, but “corkscrew” generates way too many hits in the search function…
What’s your preferred daily use corkscrew for wines of medium age (say 5-15 years)? I’ve used a trusty Le Creuset Screwpull for years, but the worm is in need of replacement so I thought I’d see what’s new.
I have a Durand for older bottles, and it’s great for that purpose, but not quite as quick and easy as a lever.
I’ve been using a “Pneumatic Wine Bottle Opener - Air Pump Needle No Cork Screw for the past 2 years. So much easier than a cork screw. On tougher bottles I use a conventional cork screw.
This. I have at least 20 of them, probably twice that if I search all my purses and wine totes and suitcases. My favorite is one with the Moore Brothers logo on it, no idea of the brand. It’s sturdy and the little blade is a good shape. That plus an ah-so covers nearly everything. I don’t have or feel the need for a Durand.
I was given a Laguiole in a fancy leather case, which I almost never use. I’m sure it cost a lot and it’s pretty, but doesn’t work all that well.
I agree with Sarah about the Laguiole. It sure looks nice and feels sturdy in my hand, but a standard double-hinged (my Laguiole is single-hinged) waiter’s corkscrew I bought on Amazon for $10-12 ea are my regular go-to unless the wine is older. In those cases, I use the Ah-So or Durand.
My DIL gave me this as a stocking stuffer on Christmas. No visible brand markings. It was probably less than $10. It works great. Some Italian bottles are too tight, but I can tell right away. (Too many pumps and cork doesn’t move). I’ve opened at least 300+ bottles without any difficulty.
One more fan of the Coutale Sommelier here, although I have several Pulltap’s standard double-hinged corkscrews which I also use frequently. The Ah-so comes out when we open an old bottle, but we don’t have many of those, so it mostly sits in the bottom of the bin.
I’ve used the same Rabbit winged corkscrew for about 15 years. I like that I can easily control how gentle or firm the cork gets pulled. Even when a cork breaks, I can almost always pull out the remainder. Has only let me down a couple of times.
My day to day was the same for years, until I lost the Moore Brothers key. Now it’s some cheap replacement from Amazon. I have a bunch of screwpull knockoffs but prefer the sommelier’s tool.
I lack the dexterity to combine it with my ah-so, so I finally splurged on a Durand