The Virtual Corkscrew Museum's Weekly Newspaper

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Do any readers have information on these corkscrews? Origin? Years produced? Similar pieces? Some of them have Scottish dress pouches. The black face is in a pouch imprinted "The Spirit of Friendship". Please email information to corkscrew@bullworks.net .

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Grapevines

Reader Jean Grignon submitted the above corkscrew offering a grapevine stock corkscrew. The corkscrews are often marked on the shank with the name and location of one of the largest producers of such corkscrews Laurent Siret, Rochefort-sur-Loire, France.

The handles of these corkscrews come in an unlimited number of shapes and sizes as they are cut from the vine. One can imagine all sorts of animal figures in the shapes. The example at left was offered by a seller as a seahorse. Also they can be found with small brass plates attached advertising wines and vineyards.

Every now and then one can find a grapevine stock corkscrew as an incredible deal. Reader Tommy Campnell recently got this pair for the bargain basement price of $22 on the Internet. They were offered as "If you have a collection, you must have these. The small one is metal legs. The big one is made of grape vine wood. The small one is very cute."

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Removing Corks

Here's something we need to try one day when we can't find a corkscrew! This blurb is from the April 28, 1980 edition of the Ely Echo (Ely, Minnesota)

And if hot water doesn't work, we'll have to give this a try! But beware of non-corkscrew methods of cork removal. Read the report below from the April 25, 1853 issue of the New York Times.

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