What's Your Preferred Corkscrew?

So the other night I was going to open a bottle of wine to enjoy while watching the Olympics and was searching the drawer where I keep the corkscrew and started to realize we have collected a few over the years.  Some are quite simple, some are decorative and others I rarely use because I don’t like how they work.  I decided to do a little research as to how many styles of corkscrews are actually out there.

            Well there are too many to count!  Actually, there is such a wide variety ranging from the very simple pocket travel corkscrews that have a plastic cover with a hole in the end you just take off, insert the corkscrew which forms a “T” and you’re ready to go.  Then there are the fancy electric kind that can cost a pretty penny too.  There seems to be four basic styles: Waiter style, Lever style, Twist style, and Pump style.

            The Waiter style seems to be the most popular. Even in this style you can find some simple basic versions to fancy decorative wood insert styles including some that have built in foil cutters.  Some of the foil cutters just look like a pocket knife you unfold while others have a pull out ring you squeeze to cut the foil.  One possible problem with this corkscrew is if you insert the “worm” (squiggly metal part) at an angle or not quite in the middle of the cork, you may end up breaking the cork.  A broken cork is not the end of the world and does not mean your wine is “corked”.
                                              


            The Lever style is more efficient (less broken corks) and requires less strength to pull out the cork.  Just squeeze the wings around the neck of the bottle together with the worm just above the cork.  Lift the handle up and out pops the cork!  Couldn’t be easier.

          

            The Twist Style is somewhere between the Waiter and the Lever.   This style has a frame that wraps around the neck of the wine bottle and the worm is placed on top of the cork.  As the handle is twisting the worm is actually pulling the cork up and out.

                                                                  

            Last but not least is the Pump style.  This corkscrew opens bottles with ease using pressurized, inert gas. Push the needle through the cork then push the CO2 cartridge and the cork will pop out!  A fun trick for impressing friends.            

            Of these basic styles of corkscrews, there is a vast array of different versions.  I didn’t even mention the antique versions that have their own stand or bar mount.  The high tech electric can be fun too.  Then there are the kits that come with the corkscrew, stopper, pourer and drip ring.  Depending on your budget, you can enjoy showing off your collection or stay with what works best for you.

             Cheers!
              Lisa

WORD OF THE WEEK

VERAISON:  A viticulture term meaning "the onset of ripening".  It is originally French, but has been adopted into English use.  The official definition of Veraison is "change of color of the grape berries".  Veraison represents the transition from berry growth to berry ripening, and many changes in berry development occur during veraison.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veraison)