by Andrew Chalk
Anyone introducing a new corkscrew to the market has the onus on them to explain why it is needed. Fortunately, The Durand, a new corkscrew from Wining Taylors in Atlanta, comes with a complete story built in. Wining Taylors CEO, Mark Taylor, explains “We do want to be sure that everyone understands that The Durand is the only device that will reliably remove, whole, an old and fragile cork from a valued older bottle of wine, but that it is not intended for use with a firm newer cork”.
The Durand is essentially a combination of the traditional worm and the ah so. You drill into the cork as far as feasible with the worm and then pivot down with the ah so. The worm holds a loose cork while the ah so releases any parts of the cork seized on the bottle. Technique is still needed but written and video instructions make learning the process easy.
I tried The Durand on tricky old Bordeaux from 1990 with great success. I suspect every sommelier with old wines on the list will come to regard The Durand as an essential part of the toolbox. Serious collectors likewise.
