1000 and 1 Corkscrews at Corkscrew Museum in Menerbes, Luberon

What would wine be without corkscrews at least until screw tops got mainstream?

Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how dexterous you are with a corkscrew ('tirebouchon'), there are still wines with cork to save them from sudden death.

In the future when corks might all be a thing of the past, you will always have the Corkscrew Museum to remind you of olden days.

To give us a little background here's what I learned from them

"The first corkscrews were almost certainly English, although the oldest one in the museum is French, dating from the end of the XVIIth century.
The very first corkscrews were simple instruments, normally in the shape of a "T", the only problem being the physical force required to pull the cork.

Until the introduction of commercial factories in the late XIXth and early XXth century all corkscrews were made by blacksmiths and jewellers. They were the only people with the metalworking skills needed to make articles from metal. The best blacksmiths were indeed craftsmen as is clear from the items they made."

This Corkscrew Museum displays 1000 and 1 and more Corkscrews dating back to the 17th Century thanks to Domaine de la Citadelle in Meberbes, Luberon.

Another stop, another pilgrimage to make for wine lovers, call it an excuse to go sideways.