32

600 bottles per hour. When we demonstrated this machine at trade shows, we had to

uncork the freshly corked bottles. I made a little pneumatic cork remover using a

standard pneumatic air gun and a needle. This product had more success than the

corking machine! Over fifty people registered for information on the cork ejector.

I realized that it was a need in the wine industry for handy industrial cork puller and I

decided to develop some thing. Within in two weeks, we completed the first prototype

made from a molded plastic housing from an equipment that we were manufacturing,

machined aluminum and a custom made spring and needle. Depending on the capacity of

the air compressor, we could uncork up to a 1000 bottles per hour. Two months later

we were in production and since then we sold thousands of them. When my parents

retired, production was ended.

Here's how it works: The concept is based on using an air flow differential at a given

pressure: the air comes in at a much greater flow than it is allowed to escape from the

needle. The result is that there is enough remaining pressure to push the needle

through the cork, and then to remove the cork from the bottle. Once the pressure is

released, the spring pushes the cork from the needle by returning the needle back into

the housing."

Sanbri is a well-known French

manufacturer and distributor of

wine accessories. The Swiss firm,

Girtag, private labels their "Corky"

for Sanbri. Sanbri is perhaps better

known to collectors for their two

prong pullers and lever corkers.

(See Switzerland for more on the

Corky).

"This is an effortless way of

dealing with corks. What a

boon! What a difference!"

proclaims Production

Protomoule in the instructions

for the "Cork Flash" - the

"20th Century approach to

winesmanship."

Protomoule in Alby Sur

Chéran near the French-Swiss

border is now part of Europe's

ARRK manufacturing group.