For The Love Of Port

I think the Durand corkscrew is great for old corks BUT.

I have a idea. Been using the Durand for 2 years and on soft old port corks(1963&1970)

still leaves a 1/4 " in the bottle 50% of the time-tried going slow no help-tried tonite on a 70T

(Russell & Mcivers btl) going slow and supported the cork with my fingers it came out whole-

first try so luck? or a good idea?

I think it's a good idea. My friend, who has mostly old bottles, has always told me to go slow. The reason is that as you pull the cork out you create a vacuum which will want to pull the cork back in. You want to give the bottle some time to equalize the pressure - if possible. So I have started to twist and pull gently and let it sit. Then twist and pull some more until the bottom peaks out. Also, getting impatient and then just pulling it out (without twisting) causes the bootom of the cork to separate out for me. So I just do it patiently and gently and I've had good success with that technique lately.

David Spriggs wrote:I think it's a good idea. My friend, who has mostly old bottles, has always told me to go slow. The reason is that as you pull the cork out you create a vacuum which will want to pull the cork back in. You want to give the bottle some time to equalize the pressure - if possible. So I have started to twist and pull gently and let it sit. Then twist and pull some more until the bottom peaks out. Also, getting impatient and then just pulling it out (without twisting) causes the bootom of the cork to separate out for me. So I just do it patiently and gently and I've had good success with that technique lately.

I do the same. I stop when I hear the air escaping, letting the pressure equalize, then I continue very slowly.

Slow is the key. I have never had the Durand fail me so far and I've opened 150-200 bottles with it so far. It is not always easy, as it requires significant patience and hand strength. So far I've not had any corks break off ... but I've had a couple where there were small pieces that crumbled off the very end, but that would have happened with any device used.

Thanks guys I'll try that.

Never having tried one of these, is there a trade-off between getting the cork out in one piece and not disturbing the sediment?

Or is it possible to keep the bottle absolutely steady and level while using it?

No. Yes.

Tried the pressure&slow method tonite on a 1970 Fonseca's(J.Townend&Sons)

Helped got 1/2 of the bottem 1/4" out-I may need practice.(no pressure noise?).

I've chosen not to shell out for the Durand, so have never used it. But for any corkscrew, to help reduce breakage, I'm a proponent of turning the screw all the way into the cork (and ignoring the old directives about avoiding puncturing the bottom of the cork to minimize cork in the wine). Especially for old, fragile, saturated or tight corks, failure to get the screw to engage all the way to the bottom of the cork will just naturally encourage pulling the cork apart near the bottom. Expansion of the cork in the flared lower neck of old Port bottles doesn't help in that regard, either...

Practice makes perfect!

If there's a cork that seems particularly prone to breaking, i find that using two corkscrews [waiter's friend type] will more often than not get it out whole [though if you save your corks, getting the cork off two corkscrews without breaking it is harder]

I have always been tempted by the durand, though

I have used the Durand for abt 1.5 years and practising the same method as described by David.
Works very well.
But as others have written, there is a combination of being slow and hand strength.

I used to be very frustrated over the bad quality of the vintage port corks from early-/mid-80s, but after the Durand that frustration disappeared.

Just how slow is slow? Tonite a 1970 Taylor (Russell&Mciver-London) same as the last

70 F 1/2 of the last 1/4" left. No pressure sound-I went slow???

John Vachon wrote:Just how slow is slow? Tonite a 1970 Taylor (Russell&Mciver-London) same as the last

70 F 1/2 of the last 1/4" left. No pressure sound-I went slow???

Just kinda depends but a slow steady upward pull then I stop for a couple seconds when the cork is about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way out (as that's usually when the pressure sounds happens, if it does).

Tom D. wrote:... I'm a proponent of turning the screw all the way into the cork (and ignoring the old directives about avoiding puncturing the bottom of the cork to minimize cork in the wine). Especially for old, fragile, saturated or tight corks, failure to get the screw to engage all the way to the bottom of the cork will just naturally encourage pulling the cork apart near the bottom. Expansion of the cork in the flared lower neck of old Port bottles doesn't help in that regard, either...

I agree with this. I just need to find a longer corkscrew. Most won't go all the way through the cork. I'd like one with a longer and wider worm. It would have to be sharper on the end to compensate for the bigger width, and it might end up destroying the cork more when you try to take the cork off the worm, but that's after it is out of the bottle.

Most higher quality corks are rather long yet most corkscrews, even good ones, typically come with a short worm. I don't understand why corkscrews don't come with slightly longer worms.

Andy Velebil wrote:Most higher quality corks are rather long yet most corkscrews, even good ones, typically come with a short worm. I don't understand why corkscrews don't come with slightly longer worms.

Wasn't Moses looking into this? I think his company could (at least in theory) produce them, but the price might be more than we'd be willing to pay.

Glenn E. wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote:Most higher quality corks are rather long yet most corkscrews, even good ones, typically come with a short worm. I don't understand why corkscrews don't come with slightly longer worms.

Wasn't Moses looking into this? I think his company could (at least in theory) produce them, but the price might be more than we'd be willing to pay.

We could take an existing mechanism and just replace the worm with the Moses Long Swiss Precision Special. I'd buy that before a Durand.

I agree that a corkscrew with a long worm is the key. I have one that is very long and penetrates the entire cork by a couple of turns. With older saturated corks, I just pull straight up slowly. This lets the pressure stablize in the bottle and prevents disturbing the sediment. On many corks the bottom 1/4-inch wants to separate, but most seem to hang in there when done slowly.

For my money, it is either a Port tongs or Durand to ensure cork removal. An extra 1/4" on the Durand worm is doable. One more turn and even John would never fail to remove a long Port cork intact.

You can't imagine how much it hurts to say this but Andy & Roy you were right I got a full cork out

tonite by being slow-thanks.