The Durand
The Durand was invented by wine collector Mark Taylor who had struggled with challenging corks when opening older fine wines. He founded Wining Taylors, LLC (based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA) to manufacture and market The Durand in 2007. The Durand 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. The Durand has been well received and reviewed in the national and international press, as well as in wine magazines, periodicals, and online media.
Here's How It Works
The Durand consists of two parts which, when used correctly and in tandem, will get out even the most uncooperative old cork.
The first part of The Durand—an old-fashioned screw—is inserted all the way through the cork. The second part is a set of two blades that resembles an Ah-So. It is inserted perpendicular to the screw, with the blades going down the sides of the cork (between the cork and glass). Its purpose is to separate the cork from the glass, while the screw holds the cork together.
Extraction is simple. The screw is inserted. And then the blades go in. Once in, they form a cross and lock themselves together. You then gently and carefully pull while turning the entire device counterclockwise until the cork comes out in one piece.