How to tell the story of this corkscrew… Sanremo comes to mind, as does Nice. But really, that’s just the beginning. I bought this corkscrew in a little grocery in Nice the morning after I hitched up the peninsula from Rome. What a lovely all night drive that was, and a great parting of new friends the next morning.

I’ve had this corkscrew for over 20 years now, and it looks it. Half the handle broke off when I dropped it on a tile floor. Look closely at the pry end – note the metal is folding back… that’s from my barkeep days, opening a gazillion bottles a night. It was my go-to when I tended bar out in the courtyard in Charleston, and it’s still my preferred way to open a bottle of wine. But dang if this little grocery store corkscrew hasn’t been the best one I’ve ever owned. I like that it’s straight, rather than curved, and I know its idiosyncrasies… you have to tilt it just a bit to set the screw, but then straighten it up to grab the cork. And my hand, from years of habit, feels when I’ve nearly reached the end of the cork. No need to break through and drop cork bits into the wine.

We decided to have a spot of wine tonight after Little Bit went to sleep, after email was nearly caught up, and after some fun-time reading. I was tumbling the corkscrew around in my hand when it fell against the glass. I saw a picture waiting.

Rebel XTi 50mm f/1.8 ISO 1600