Don Cornutt, a wine loving friend of mine from Atlanta, is also friends with the person who created this excellent cork extraction tool, touted as,” … is amazingly effective in removing older and fragile wine bottle corks whole and undamaged.”

He asked me if I’d be interested in putting it through a rigorous test on some Port bottles, or whatever wines I’d like to try it on. I said, “by all means, if it works half as good as it sounds, it should be a great invention for Port lovers.” Here was my feedback:

Over the past few weeks, I have used the Durand Cork Extractor, a brilliantly designed device, for extracting the most challenging of corks. I have put it through several difficult tasks, from old magnums to young and old Vintage Ports to a crusty old and potentially crumbly Madeira cork and a slew of other bottles.

I found the Durand easy to use, with the worm perfectly created in terms of the width and length, not to mention the Teflon coating, all of which helps to maximize the potential for raising the cork without ripping through the center, like many corkscrews will do with older, delicate corks. The length of Bordeaux and Port corks is easily handled by the Durand, which is not typically the case with most hand held devices.

I did not have a single cork break or crumble while using this tool and would highly recommend this to any serious wine collector who is looking for a fool-proof device for removing even the most stubborn corks. Old vintage Port corks came out the first time, whole and without crumbling thanks to the double-duty corkscrew and Ah-So features working in tandem making it such a unique and welcome new product.

The only issue I had in using the Durand was when finding a very snug cork, it was difficult to pull both the stabilizer bar and handle simultaneously, at least initially. Otherwise, this is a well-crafted and extremely solid product that will delight those who know the drudgery from having waged battle while removing the most obstinate or ancient corks. Roy Hersh – December 6th, 2009

Mark Taylor the developer of the Durand, has extended a limited time discount for FTLOP’ers everywhere. From January 1st - January 31st 2010 there will be a 5% reduction in price. In addition, Mark is willing to ship anywhere in the continental US for FREE … and he will absorb most of the cost, charging only $10 (USD) by USPO to any FTLOP newsletter recipient outside of the USA and/or overseas. To take advantage of this buying opportunity, go to the website (www.thedurand.com) and use the password: FTLOP

Disclaimer: IN ORDER TO DO THE TESTING OF THIS PRODUCT, I RECEIVED ONE FREE OF CHARGE. I HAVE NEVER MET NOR DO I KNOW MARK TAYLOR (EXCEPT NOW BY EMAIL). I HAVE ZERO VESTED INTEREST IN HIS OFFER TO FTLOP NEWSLETTER RECIPIENTS, NOR SHALL I PROFIT IN ANY WAY, FINANCIALLY OR OTHERWISE. I DO NOT WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN SHIPPING ISSUES OR IN THE MIDDLE OF ANY DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN BUYER AND SELLER WHATSOEVER.