Have you ever been in the position where you were forced to break, or wrestle with, a cork because you didn’t have a proper wine opener? If so, you will realise how incredibly frustrating this can be - not mentioning how silly you can look when doing battle with a bottle of Pinot Noir. Investing in a proper bottle opener not only prevents embarrassing situations like these, it also allows you to open a fine bottle of wine without any hassle - leaving you to savour the satisfying pop at the end.
So what makes a good wine bottle opener? First, here is what you should avoid:
Openers that poke through the bottom of a cork.
Openers that compromise the integrity of the cork, causing it to break and lead to pieces of cork in the wine.
Openers that seem overly complicated to figure out and take more hands to use that a Swiss Army knife. Tools like these are meant to simplify a job, not complicate it even more.
It is pretty easy to judge if you have a proper opener, and if you don’t it is time to invest in one. There are so many new and improved models on the market that will take the hassle out of opening that great bottle of wine in no time at all. This is why the team at Anthony Ryans have gone far and wide to source only the very best openers from a variety of suppliers. The six basic types of openers are as follows:
The mounted opener: Sturdy, durable and efficient; higher price.
The rabbit-style opener: The most efficient of all the openers; moderately priced.
The pump-style opener: Pulls cork by means of a vacuum, less chance of breakage; love/hate item.
The twist-style opener: Effective and affordable; not as flashy.
The waiter-style opener/Wine key: Inexpensive, portable; requires ‘manual labour’.
Le Creuset
The Le Creuset Wine Accessory range saw the light of day in 1979, when Herbert Allen, a tool inventor for the oil industry in Texas, sat down and decided to develop a tool that would remove a cork from a bottle of wine without force, injury or embarrassment. The experiment was inspired by his wife’s ire after having a particularly frustrating experience opening a bottle of wine, and went on to revolutionise the way we open, store and present wine.
The Le Creuset range of wine accessories includes the following products:
Lever Models: The Lever models are the perfect accessory for the modern wine connoisseur and take the headache out of opening older vintages that may have some cork disintegration, etc.
Cooling: The Cooler Sleeve allows you to cool your wine on the go and in style. The elastic sides and tapered top provides a snug fit; your wine cools in minutes and stays frosty for hours
Activ-ball Range: The Activ-ball range represents a new level of simplicity when it comes to opening your wine - all due to the inclusion of the unique, patented activ-ball technology. Now you can remove corks effortlessly and take the cork of the screw just as easily. All Activ-ball products come with a five year guarantee as well.
Screwpull Champagne Stopper: The champagne stopper is the perfect option for waiters/sommeliers/mere civilians who want to preserve unused champagne.
Le Creuset Foil cutters: A simple and clever innovation designed to remove the foil crown from a wine bottle. Le Creuset foil-cutters cut with a gentle squeeze and twist, neatly and cleanly. An indispensable tool for the wine lover!
