Holiday Gifting Guide 2023: The Best Wine Openers
In wine, we know this truth to be self evident—if you want to drink a bottle of wine, you must open it. The cork must come out. And with which tool you open the bottle helps define your style. Having the right wine opener is serious business! It's a personal choice. Some bring ease of use, while others accentuate personal style and elegance. The corkscrew. The wine key. The Ah-So...with so many choices of openers there's no reason to have just one. Arm your loved one's opening arsenal with the proper tools this holiday season. Here are my picks for the best Wine Openers to give as gifts in 2023:
Courtesy of Hart & Cru
Cartailler-Deluc was founded in 1898 in Thiers, France—the widely acknowledged knife-forging mecca of Europe. The small town (population less than 12,000) is known for superior craftsmanship in producing waiter-style corkscrews. After opening 1000’s of bottles you'll continue to return again and again to the Cartailler Deluc.
With its beautifully simplistic design, slim body, quality construction, long helix, and sharp blade, the Cartailler-Deluc corkscrew has been loved by sommeliers since they were first made 70 years ago.
Courtesy of Craighill
Designed in collaboration with sommelier André Hueston Mack, the Best Wine Key is more than a hunk of articulated steel with a boastful name. It’s the final answer to a longstanding question: how do I get this wine out of this bottle? There have been attempts to answer this query, and while there remain some adequate methods for addressing the issue, we really think we knocked it out of the park here.
The Best Wine Key boasts a substantial presence in the user’s hand, a tactile reminder of its oenological authority. Its foil knife is precisely angled to keep the serrated blade on task as it makes its rounds, and the ratcheted swingarm mechanism transforms the once tedious chore of cork extraction into a smooth, satisfying ritual. Even with near infinite combinations of bottles, caps, corks, and casks to explore, nothing pairs with all of them better than The Best.
Courtesy of Viski
Designed to represent the highest quality that the barware industry has to offer, the Signature Corkscrew exceeds expectations and epitomizes the top-shelf standard that Viski constantly strives for. This next level wine key features a double-hinged arm, five-turn worm and handle-integrated foil cutter are all plated in resplendent copper.
- Material: 304 stainless steel with polish copper finish
- Care: Hand wash
- Double-hinged arm
- 5-turn worm and foil cutter
Courtesy of Le Creuset
As the first in colorful cookware, the finest measure for quality and design, and the favorite for generations, Le Creuset is an enduring symbol of culinary character. In 1925, two Belgian industrialists met at the Brussels Fair — one, a specialist in enamelling; the other, an expert in casting. Jointly they 'cracked the code' to enamelling cast iron and brought color to the kitchen.
The pair went on to establish a foundry in the village of Fresnoy-le-Grand, about two hours north of Paris. The factory site stands at a transportation crossroads, making it easier to source the iron, coke and sand needed for production. To this day, the iconic cast iron cookware is still made in the original foundry in France.
Make like a true sommelier with this stylish waiter’s corkscrew. It’s a firm favorite amongst wine enthusiasts and professionals, thanks to its patented two-stage system. The expertly designed pull makes easing the cork from the bottle effortless, while the small knife lets you remove foil in an instant.
Courtesy of The Durand
The Durand® removes old and fragile corks whole and undamaged. Instructions for use are printed on the inside of the reusable wrapper that encloses the cork presentation box of the Durand®.
The Durand® is a fully patented, two part device that enables the user to successfully remove older and fragile wine corks whole and intact.
Invented by wine collector Mark Taylor who had struggled with challenging corks when opening older fine wines, Mark founded Wining Taylors, LLC (based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA) to manufacture and market The Durand® in 2007. The opener is named for Yves Durand, a world-renowned sommelier and a personal friend and mentor.
Using The Durand® for older, fragile or compromised corks eliminates the unwanted outcomes of broken corks, corks pushed into bottles or corks partially removed leaving pieces floating in the wine. The Durand® removes the cork whole and contained. Numerous wine lovers, collectors, and nationally and internationally known sommeliers have enjoyed The Durand’s® performance and appreciated its proven track record.
