Corkscrews or the art of inventing the bicycle

Father Christmas:
– Merry Christmas, children! Now, the Snow Maiden and I have come all the way from the North Pole to see you. We're going to start off with the poetry competition. So, you read out your verses, and the winner will be the first one to bring us a corkscrew.

Modern joke

The question as to what came first – the corkscrew or the cork is hardly likely to seem tricky. The answer, after all, is obvious – the cork. When corks were first used to plug wine bottles – and this was only during the second half of the 17th century – they were made in the shape of a mushroom so they could be pulled out by hand more or less in the same way as we open champagne bottles today. The trouble was that due to their large diameter, corks of this kind were too expensive – if, that is, they had been made from the bark of the cork oak, and not from bits of wood. In fact, they were almost as expensive as the hand-blown bottles.

In the 18th century, bottles began to be cast in special moulds, which made them more cylindrical in shape so that it was possible for them to be stored horizontally. This in turn had the effect of economizing available space and allowing the wine to touch the cork, thereby moistening it and preventing it from drying. But casting also meant that the necks of the bottles had almost identical proportions, so cheap corks of a standard diameter – much the same as we used today – could be made. This type of cork could be pushed right into the neck of the bottle, but then it became impossible to pull it out by hand. So a special instrument was required – a corkscrew.
The first corkscrews were modelled on already existing tools like the brace used for drilling holes in casks, or the long gun worm used for extracting charges and wadding that had stuck in musket or pistol barrels. The name of the person who invented the first corkscrew is not known to us, but it is usually considered that the instrument made its first appearance in England – the country of true wine aficionados – because it was here that bottles became common slightly earlier than they did in France. The earliest reference to a corkscrew that has come down to us is dated 1681, and it is described as a "steel screw used for extracting corks from bottles".

However the corkscrew (and, incidentally, the Russian word Shtopor came from the German Stopper), as we know it, still had a long way to go and many improvements and modifications to pass through. Like the bicycle, it was reinvented again and again. Suffice it to say, that the first patent for this instrument was taken out in 1795 by a certain Samuel Henshall, and between then and 1908 a further three hundred and fifty patents were taken out for corkscrews by their inventors. In France, corkscrews were patented for the first time in 1828, in the US – 1860, in Germany – 1877, and in Canada – 1882. But even after that, the ideas of the indefatigable 'bicycle inventors' knew no rest. Possibly for this reason, everyone knows what a corkscrew is. But apart from that, they are used in the region of twelve billion times a year – that at least is the annual number of wine bottles that are corked. And yet for all this, there are still no ideal corkscrews – the sort that would make it possible to open any bottle without the slightest trouble. And very likely every person who has ever broken a cork opening a bottle of good wine has expressed their regret at this in the strongest possible terms.

Pocket direct pressure corkscrews

There is something attractive about a corkscrew, and maybe that is the reason why more and more new models keep appearing. These simple little toys amuse us and warm our hearts. Many of them can rightly be called works of art, and it's hardly surprising that people collect them and that some devotees are ready to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for antique models. Quite recently at a Christie's auction, a corkscrew was bought for a sum equivalent to $31,280.

But despite the abundance of models, there are not all that many that are really effective and popular. Those that are, we will be considering later on.

Direct pressure corksrew with quick-action worm

But first a few words about the main part of many (but not all) corkscrews – the worm. There are three main types of worm, and each has its own advantages. First, there is the 'pigtail'. Those who have seen the way a small pig's tail curls are certain to recognize the accuracy of this name. The wire from which the helix is made can be of round, square or rectangular cut and with or without a groove running along its length.

Direct pressure corkscrew, but far more humorous and with 'pigtail' worm

Secondly, there is the full worm. As distinct from the 'pigtail' which has a hollow axis, this type of worm has a full metal axis. Thirdly, there is the Archimedes screw. It looks a little archaic and consists of a tapering rod with a helical ridge brazed to it, which is usually of triangular cut and with a fairly sharp edge. Among the worm types listed above, there can be differences in length, diameter, pitch (the distance between threads on a screw), and the centricity of the point (which can be on the axis or to one side of it). There is the quick-action worm – so called because it goes easily into a cork due to its small diameter and the incline of its coils. A corkscrew with a worm like this does not need to be turned to get it into the cork – a strong push is sufficient. In addition there are right- (pushed into the cork by twisting to the right) and left-hand worms, the latter being used in corkscrews designed for people who are left-handed.

Corkscrews differ according to the principle on which they work and the specifics of their application.

Direct pressure corkscrews

In this, the simplest type of corkscrew, the worm is fixed to the handle at its midway point, giving the instrument a Tshape form. In all probability, this construction is the oldest, and it is certainly the kind referred to in the 1681 source. This type of corkscrew is compact, inexpensive, simple to use, durable and, if used carefully, it will practically last forever, especially if it has a full worm and not a 'pigtail'.

T-shaped corksrew with hand-operated lever mechanism

That possibly completes the list of this type of corkscrew's features – except that it can be made to look very attractive, which is particularly true of some of the antique models. In the 18th century, direct pressure corkscrews were used for opening not only wine bottles, but perfume bottles and phials containing medicines or cosmetics. The fact that people always needed to have them to hand gave rise to the appearance of pocket models that were small in size. Sometimes these could be folded and sometimes they had a case which functioned like a sheath to protect the worm when not in use. Handles were often made to look like figures, which could vary from the completely neutral to the humoristic. Corkscrews were also made with heavy handles that were adapted for breaking the sealing wax found on the bottle necks. Here, one side of the handle would be made in the shape of a small hammer, while the other side would be fitted with a stiffbristle brush for brushing off sealing-wax dust and cleaning the bottle neck from mould. For pipe smokers, there were corkscrews with built-in cleaners and tampers, and sometimes they were even fitted with lighters. A hunter's corkscrew could be combined with a whistle. During the 19th century, a corkscrew became a standard accessory to many penknives, and they were also mounted on the detachable handles of canes and umbrellas.

Rotary pressure corkscrew of the type devised by Samuel Henshall

Antique rotary pressure corkscrew

Most corkscrews today are designed to emphasize their functionality with far less attention given to their elegance. Their handles are usually made of plastic or cheap metal alloys, and their worms not infrequently break on the first attempt to use them. Even as souvenirs – for example, with a handle made to look like an old grape vine – they give little cause for enjoyment. But there are pleasing exceptions. However, both contemporary and antique corkscrews have similar shortcomings. As a rule, they lack any special tool for cutting and removing the heat-shrunk tops that are used to cover the necks of bottles. Of course, one could come to terms with this – especially since most other types of corkscrew are not equipped with such tools. 

Rotary pressure corkscrew fitted with a spring

But their main shortcoming lies in the fact that the T-shaped corkscrew can only be used by people with a fairly athletic build. Removing a cork with a T-shaped corkscrew can at times require a pull of some forty to forty five kilograms and even more. Furthermore, when the cork comes out of the bottle, it makes a characteristically loud noise which does not really conform to etiquette, unless you happen to be out picnicking somewhere on the grass or the banks of a river. Finally, a bottle can be hard to hold in an immovable position with the result that the lees – if there are any – could cloud the wine. Actually, this last consideration can more or less be ignored since lees are usually found only in vintage wines, which have been corked with special long corks. The type of corkscrew under consideration here is best used for short and medium-length corks that are up to 45mm in length.

Twin handled rotary pressure corkscrew

Some of these deficiencies can be overcome if in addition to the direct pressure corkscrew, a lever mechanism with a cremailliиre (rack and pinion) is fixed to the wall. These are used in places where lots of bottles of fairly cheap wine have to be uncorked, and many wine bars and cellars in France are equipped with them. The worm is screwed into the cork, then the neck of the bottle is put into the brace, while the handle of the corkscrew is clamped to the lever mechanism. After that, you only have to pull the lever, which exerts considerable force, and the cork is removed.

Edward Thomason's telesopic corkscrew

The size and weight of this mechanism inevitably make it part of the interior decor. It looks quite good in a country house, but is somewhat out of place in a town flat. At one time, there used to be a compact hand-held version of this corkscrew without the rack and pinion, but it was not particularly convenient to use, and is apparently no longer produced.

The Screwpull

Rotary pressure corkscrews

Rotary pressure corkscrews were among the first (a model, which can be considered rotary, was patented by Samuel Henshall in 1795) to be invented, but this does not mean that they were primitive, and they are still popular today. The operation of these corkscrews is based on transforming the rotary motion of the handle into the forward motion of the worm and, consequently, the cork.

Using them is so simple that it can be done blindfolded. The point of the worm is placed on the axis of the cork and the handle is turned clockwise. When the body of the corkscrew comes into contact with the neck of the bottle, the cork begins to rise as it is impaled more and more deeply on to the worm. Eventually, it comes out of the neck completely. Sometimes to facilitate the movement, corkscrews of this type are fitted with a spring. Some instruments of this type have not one, but two worms – both rightand left-handed. A model of this kind was patented in 1842 by Edwin Cotterill. Subsequent improvements to this system resulted in considerable complexities. Thus, corkscrews were made with two handles: one for inserting the worm; the other for pulling out the cork. Possibly of greatest interest was the telescopic model, as it was called, invented by Edward Thomason in 1802, when it became customary in England for the master of the house himself to uncork the wine at the dinner table. The telescopic corkscrew, also known as the dual-action corkscrew, made it possible not only to remove the cork easily from the bottle, but to take it off the worm without using the hands. To do this, it was enough to twist the handle anticlockwise.

Subsequently, an even better model – the Perpetual – was patented in Germany. With this type of corkscrew, you could take the cork out of the bottle and remove it from the worm by twisting the handle in one direction only.

The predecessor of the Italian corkscrew - a rack and pinion with a full form

One of the modern and perhaps the most successful versions of this type was the corkscrew invented in the second half of the seventies of the 20th century by the American, Herbert Allen. At first, it was sold under the brand name 'Screwpull', which fairly accurately described the principle on which it worked. The name stuck, and now it is frequently used to signify all models of this type even those produced by other companies – much in the same way as in many countries a copying machine is called a 'xerox'. In this type of corkscrew, an unusually long and slender worm of the 'pigtail' variety is fitted to the handle, but is not connected to the body – it simply passes through an opening in its upper part. The worm is given a special coating which reduces by a factor of four the effort required to screw it into the cork, and which thereby makes it possible to make the body out of plastic which was not particularly durable. The story goes that the impulse for inventing this instrument came from Allen's wife, for whom opening bottles of wine was a continual source of pain and difficulty. If the story is true, then Allen unquestionably made life easier for his wife: the corkscrew is so easy to use and so efficient that it has been called a 'woman's corkscrew', meaning that even the most unskilful woman is able to use it.

The screwpull is also fitted with a knife for cutting heat-shrunk tops and an instrument for opening crown tops (usually found on beer bottles), and it comes in a folding pocket model.

The Italian corkscrew with an Archimedes screw-type worm

Rack and pinion corkscrews

The classical example is the Italian corkscrew, also known as the 'butterfly'. Its two levers – and with some stretch of the imagination they could be seen as butterfly wings – are raised as the worm screws into the cork. Then it is only necessary to push them down to uncork the bottle. This corkscrew is particularly good for extracting short – and particularly agglomerated (pressed) – corks as well as those used in bottles with narrow necks, which are particularly popular in Italy. This fact coupled with its simplicity of usage and reliability make the corkscrew irreplaceable in a bar. Unfortunately, the worm used in the 'butterfly' corkscrew – usually the Archimedes screw type, more rarely a full worm – is almost always too short and sometimes too thick. This is why a corkscrew of this construction is not suitable for opening bottles with long corks such as are found, for example, on classified Bordeaux wines; it would simply break them.

Both the names given to this corkscrew, which was patented in its modern form around 1920 by Batiste Fedrici in Italy and Amadee Debord in France, are understandable. But as I see it, it's not so much a butterfly that it resembles, as the monument to Yuri Gagarin, which stands in the square named after him in Moscow.
Basically, the Italian corkscrew is an improvement on the older rack and pinion model. This model, which was undoubtedly less easy to use and required much more strength, had a handle on one side that had to be turned to extract the cork. Strange as it may seem, versions of the rack and pinion model are still produced.

The professional screwpull - the Lever Model

The idea for using the rack and pinion found unexpected embodiment in one of the original and reasonably convenient modern pocket corkscrews. It is based on the principle of the car jack, according to which after the worm has been screwed into the cork, it is extracted by reverse movements of the lever in the vertical plane. It's nice to see that this model includes a knife for cutting heat-shrunk caps, although it is not all that easy to use. And, of course, we shouldn't omit one of the most successful professional corkscrews ever produced. It was made in 1979 by Herbert Allen, who invented the screwpull, and is known as the Lever Model. This highly complex construction uses a sliding rack and pinion, and the long, quick-action worm of the 'pigtail' type has, like that used in the screwpull, a special coating.

The principle on which it works is fairly original. After removing the top of the cap (usually by means of revolving blades), the neck of the bottle is held by two handles. When the lever is pulled down, the worm slides easily into the cork. The lever is then pulled back up (which may require a little force)and the cork is extracted from the bottle. Repeating the reverse movement removes the cork from the worm. The whole process takes no more than ten-fifteen seconds, and malfunctioning is extremely rare.

This corkscrew is particularly good if you have to open several dozen bottles at the same time. The highest speed recorded by this corkscrew is twelve bottles a minute, and this has been included in the Guinness Book of Records and is hardly likely to be surpassed in the near future.

While recognizing the undoubted qualities of the Lever Model, it should nevertheless be pointed out that it reduces opening a bottle of wine to the level of the commonplace, to almost an industrial operation, depriving it of any of its charm.

Two-pronged (-bladed) corkpullers

This type is irreplaceable in circumstances where the cork is too old, fragile or soaked in wine, or – which is somewhat rare nowadays – the bottle is to be put away for later use. It can also be recommended for use in cases where the cork has stuck to the glass and needs to be pulled off, which occasionally happens with vintage port. The corkscrew has two spring-steel prongs fixed in parallel to a handle and set at a distance approximately equal to the diameter of the cork. First, the longer of the two prongs is pushed between the cork and the glass, and this is followed by the shorter one on the opposite side of the cork. Both are then pushed down between the cork and the bottle by easy, agitating movements until they can go no further. The cork is then jammed between the two prongs. Then the handle is twisted and the cork simultaneously pulled from the bottle. This operation requires a certain amount of skill, and the author is obliged to admit that after he himself first tried to use a two-pronged corkscrew, even the walls got splashed with wine.

Two-pronged (Gypsy) corkpullers

It is generally believed that this corkscrew was invented in San Francisco in 1879 by a certain Luciano Mumford, although it was discovered relatively recently that fifteen years previously, a better version of the gadget had been patented in Germany. But however that may be, no one refers to this corkscrew today as either American or German. In Russia, they call it a 'Gypsy' corkscrew, probably because it can be used to remove corks without damaging them (in order presumably to replace the cork after changing the good wine for an inferior brand – but then the Gypsy has never figured in Russian folklore as a model of integrity). In France, where they often use this type of corkscrew in restaurants, they refer to it with a certain amount of sarcasm as the Maitre D's corkscrew for similar reasons.

Pivoted or hooked corkpullers

Their usage is similar to that of the two-pronged corkscrew, but they are less effective. The hooked corkpuller is shaped something like a bradawl with a circular- or square-cut rod, the business end of which gradually tapers and is then bent at a right angle. The bent tip must be carefully inserted between the neck of the bottle and the cork, and then turned at a right-angle. In this way, the hook gets under the lower face of the cork so that subsequent extraction is not particularly difficult.

Several patents were taken out on this model, although the corkpuller's consumer qualities left much to be desired. It was clearly unsuitable for use, if the cork was too dry or had lost its elasticity. But apart from that, using it could put too much pressure on one side of the bottleneck, which could chip, crack or completely break the bottle. Finally, using this type of corkpuller could easily result in the cork being pushed into the bottle. This rather limits its application to opening bottles of cheap, young wine that have been plugged with short corks, although 'limited' in the past tense would be actually better, because today this type of corkpuller has been almost forgotten.

The Swiss corkpuller with a miniature pump

The pneumatic or Swiss corkpuller

This type of corkpuller was patented in the 1960s. It has a hollow needle which pierces the cork and a miniature pump to force air into the bottle. Sometimes the pump is replaced by a small cylinder of compressed carbon dioxide. The idea is that the excess pressure created in the bottle should force out the cork.

But many experts are in agreement that this pressure also affects the wine and results in a partial loss of aroma. Then there have been incidents when bottles, especially old ones, have themselves exploded under the pressure. Not to mention, of course, that a sharp, hollow needle is itself very dangerous.

The Swiss corkpuller can probably only be recommended for extracting corks that are short (a long cork cannot be pierced by the needle), that have not lost their elasticity, and that are not firmly jammed into the neck – basically corks that have been soaked and softened. But then, there are plenty of user-friendly and reliable mechanical corkscrews that could do the job just as well...

The hooked corkpuller

The sommelier's knife

This is sometimes simply called a 'sommelier' for short, which could of course lead to confusion, since this is also the name for the person at a restaurant responsible for purchasing, storing and serving wine. It was not, as many people think, invented in France, but in Germany. This tool, which is probably the most popular corkscrew today, was patented in 1882 by Carl Wjenke from Rostok. The sommelier's knife is one of a group of pocket lever corkscrews. Outwardly, it resembles a folding knife and, apart from the worm, it has a blade for cutting caps and a brace that can rest on a bottleneck. The handle of the knife serves as a lever for facilitating the extraction of the cork. This model, which is also adapted for removing crown caps, is frequently called a narzannik in Russia, but in France, where they don't drink narzan, it is called a limonadier or a waiter's corkscrew.

Sommelier's knives, as the name implies, are widely used by those professionally involved with wine, which suggests that their construction is a particularly good one. And it certainly is. A good sommelier's knife is universal and can be used to remove heat-shrunk caps and uncork almost any bottle, including one lying horizontally in a special basket that is usually used only when the wine requires decanting. But the main thing is that this knife is by way of being a symbol of the professional, almost like a tastevin. When you see how easily and elegantly a sommelier uses such a knife, you get the impression that a child could do it. But actually, it needs a special skill which requires training and practice in opening a good few dozen bottles. It's not something the dilettante is likely to be able to do.

Modern sommelier's knife from Chateau Laguiole

The author can definitely recommend this model to wine lovers – providing, of course, that the knife meets certain necessary requirements.

The worm on a sommelier's knife – mainly a 'pigtail' – should have five full coils and be at least fifty-seven millimetres long. It should not be too thick and made of hardened steel which is not deformed.
The blade should preferably be moderately long, slightly curved and with frequent knurling to avoid the necessity for continual sharpening. On certain models used for cutting heat-shrunk caps, the knife has revolving blades. This is convenient, but it has the disadvantage that the procedure for serving the wine is less elegant.
The brace should be placed in line with the handle and touching the neck of the bottle. It should also be made in a shape that will not chip the glass. The length of the brace is important: it should be such as to allow the cork to be fully extracted. In recent years, sommelier knives with two braces or a twin-level brace have become popular.
Finally, for convenience of use, the handle of the knife should not be too broad. It should also be sufficiently, but not excessively long, and slightly curved.

Some of the best sommelier's knives are considered to be those produced by the French company, Chвteau Laguiole. But they are very expensive and losing one – bearing in mind that getting lost is the inevitable fate of all sommelier's knives – is extremely annoying. And it's no less pleasant when it gets taken off you at airport security checkpoints... 

Vintage port tongs

This instrument can hardly be considered a corkscrew, although it has been used over the ages for this very purpose. The device is needed, because in certain circumstances a cork can stick so firmly to the glass that it cannot be removed by any of the above means. Most often, this happens with bottles of a vintage port that was not filtered before bottling and that has aged many years, if not decades. The traditional way of coping with this situation was to use a pair of special tongs resembling pincers (which is what they are called in Portuguese – tenaz). Like pincers, the business end of the tongs consists of two semicircular bevelled jaws. The neck of the bottle is cooled with ice; the bottle meanwhile stands immobile to prevent the lees that are inevitable in such wine from being disturbed and spoiling the pleasure of drinking. Then the jaws of the tongs are heated in an open flame until the tips are red-hot and clamped round the neck of the bottle at the level of the lower cork face. The glass breaks, and the neck and the cork come away so that the wine can now be poured into a decanter, after wiping the neatly broken edge of the bottleneck. But vintage port tongs look as exotic in our country as a short, blunt-bladed sabre for opening champagne bottles.

And now a few words about another instrument. Before getting to the cork, it is often necessary to remove a top. As we have noted, many types of corkscrew do not provide a knife for this purpose. In that case, you need a good knife with revolving blades. The sort of thing required can be found in the set that goes with the Lever Model, but they are also sold separately. With some of these knives it is possible to cut the top at its highest point; with others, the cut is made in the middle of the ring-shaped rib that encircles the neck. Using this type of knife requires no special skill: the knife is placed on top of the bottleneck and given a half-turn, after which the cut part of the cap can be easily removed.

In conclusion, I would like to give a few words of advice to wine lovers.

– Since there are no ideal corkscrews, you should get a number of different models. But make sure they are the right ones, and then you'll be able to open any kind of bottle. A sommelier's knife is highly desirable.

– The proposition which almost always applies to wines and which states that if you don't like the way it looks, you probably won't like the way it tastes – can also be applied to corkscrews. If you don't like its construction, finish and appearance, don't buy it. Everything connected with wine should give pleasure – and this includes the corkscrew you use to open a bottle. 

– When you are buying a corkscrew with a worm – and the majority of corkscrews have got worms – make a point of carefully examining this particular part. It shouldn't break the cork, so neither the worm itself, not the wire from which it is made (if it is a 'pigtail') should be too thick. Thus, the diameters of the worm and the wire respectively should be 9-10mm and 2-2.5mm. Then, it should hook the cork, not bore a hole through it like an auger. Therefore, the pitch and internal diameter of the worm (again a 'pigtail') should be 9mm and 3.5mm respectively. The length of the worm should be at least a little longer than the length of the cork that you intend to extract. The maximum length for a standard cork is 54mm, but 60mm corks are made to special order for some wine makers. 

It is important that the worm should not be bent, and this is a deficiency that it is not always possible to notice in a shop. But the moment you try to open your first bottle, it will become immediately evident and spoil all the enjoyment. Furthermore, it is not a fault that can easily be put right in a domestic environment, unless you just happen to be a jack of all trades. 

– Using different models of corkscrew requires skill, so when you start with a new type of corkscrew, try it out first on an inexpensive wine. And preferably without anyone around – to avoid embarrassment. After a bit of training, you will undoubtedly amaze your friends with your skill at easily and elegantly removing the cork from a bottle of wine.

Cigar Clan 4'2006 vol.1. Alexander Kuptsov