The "de Gaulle" winged corkscrew and foil cutter

The “de Gaulle” Corkscrew: an Iconic Bottle Opener

This must-have corkscrew, with its head and two big levers that look like arms, comes in all shapes and sizes throughout the world. It owes its name in France to General de Gaulle lifting his arms into the air while addressing the public.

L’Atelier du Vin carefully selected each component of the corkscrew’s mechanism to ensure that it is robust and easy to use. Our redesigned “de Gaulle” corkscrew is equipped with a special forged, “Teflon-coated” worm and a five-step turn to properly grip the cork and extract it.

Robust Components and a Foolproof Mechanism

“de Gaulle” corkscrew and sturdy spiral worm enables to effortlessly extract any type of cork without damaging it. The ingenious self-centring base helps to position it correctly on the neck, before plunging the metal into the soft cork.

We deliberately kept the body – made out of particularly hard-wearing zamak – in its original raw state, with a simple coat of transparent varnish and no chrome or paint, to emphasise its rugged nature. Its powerful matte black rivets and oversized gears further highlight its strong personality. The sturdy and authentic aspect of L’Atelier du Vin’s “de Gaulle” winged corkscrew can thus be seen at a glance.

This iconic corkscrew, both an everyday and precious object, will fit anywhere in your house, whether presented in a yellow and white decorative case, or carefully packed in a colourful gift box with a custom note.

How to Use a Winged Corkscrew

• Place the tip of the worm in an upright position at the centre of the cork.
• Twist the handle without touching the “wings”, or levers, so that they rise up by themselves.
• Push both levers down to extract the cork from the bottle’s neck.

The Most Popular L’Atelier du Vin Corkscrew

L’Atelier du Vin, a French wine tool manufacturer since 1926, is a family business whose savoir-faire can traced back to the Champagne wine region, from father to son. We decided to create a strengthened version of the traditional winged corkscrew to share our passion for the art of living wine.

This popular bottle opener, with its instantly recognisable silhouette, is among the French’s favourite table utensils. From one generation to the next, the “de Gaulle” corkscrew is used at family dinners or to share a good bottle of wine with friends.

It therefore holds a particularly special place in our collection of sommelier tools and oenology accessories, where each of our corkscrews has its own story and personality.

History of the Winged Corkscrew

The very first winged corkscrew was invented at the end of the 19^th century in England by William Baker. A few years later, Neville Heeley perfected its mechanism by connecting the bottle opener’s arms with a steering collar that slid down the middle as the worm entered the cork.

This double lever mechanism was dependable, but Dominick Rosati added the finishing touch in the 1930s with the foolproof rack and pinion system.

This wine tool was particularly popular in France after the war and was even named after General de Gaulle. Our creators at L’Atelier du Vin added a certain je ne sais quoi to this historical corkscrew, while staying true to its original design and equipping it with a Teflon-coated worm to make it even easier to open bottles.