THE CORKSCREW MUSEUM -BAROLO
The Corkscrew Museum in Barolo was founded in 2006 in the premises of an old cellar next to the
Barolo Municipal Castle.
The tour features 600 specimens of antique corkscrews from around the world,
made since the second half of the 1600s and tells of the birth and evolution of this
simple tool, but rich in history and curiosity.
Starting with “suspended corkscrews” and nomenclature, the trail takes us to admire
Simple “T” specimens made of wood, iron, aluminum, brass, bone, horn, ebony, mother-of-pearl,
bronze, ivory, silver, tortoise… But we will also learn about the era of inventions with levers, screws and
complex mechanisms such as that of the two screws, one dextrorotatory and one levorotatory, inserted a
In the other.
In the 19 sections we have the opportunity to see decorative and figurative corkscrews, but also
paperbacks, advertising, multipurpose systems, animal-themed and erotic, there is no shortage of those in
Miniature for perfumes and medicines. One section is devoted to precious corkscrews, made by the
best craftsmen and goldsmiths with fine materials, to which aristocrats and clergymen had the
coat of arms of the lineage or the initials of their name.
The didactic intent and learned disclosure captured in the trilingual panels (Italian, English, and
German), are matched by the spectacular setting that highlights the beauty of the
corkscrews on display, alternating period images, “Leonardian” panels, light shots and curiosities.
A separate section is devoted to vintage postcards with the corkscrew as the subject.
At the entrance, a large open-access area welcomes visitors with a beautiful image of
a Barolo vineyard by Bruno Murialdo and a display of bottles from all the producers of
Barolo di Barolo.
The wine shop features all the best labels from the Langhe area and the entire Piedmont region.
In fact, there are more than 1,000 different labels of Barolo Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Barbera,
Dolcetto, Arneis, Moscato, bitters, Barolo chinato, Gin grappa, Vermputh and more. In addition there is
also the opportunity to conduct tastings of several important wines.
The museum’s offerings are complemented by a bookshop selling books, publications, corkscrews
antique and modern, wine products, souvenirs, posters, gadgets, typical food products from
Langa.
So don’t miss a visit to this highly original and fun museum!
HISTORY OF CORKSCREWS
WHEN HOW AND WHERE WAS THE CORKSCREW BORN?
Uncorking a bottle of wine is a ritual that always has something magical about it: the eyes of the
present are focused on those who carry out the operation. The tin foil seal is removed and
placed the tip of the corkscrew in the center of the corkscrew.
The screw sinks into the cork until it pierces and finally with the necessary tensile effort the
cork comes out of the neck of the bottle with a slight pop. The cork is pulled out and
Sniffed for odor. The nectar of the gods is now ready to serve and
Tasting. We are all used to using this object to uncork a bottle, it is a
customary and automatic gesture that gives us access to one of life’s pleasures.
But when does this fascinating story begin? This question is not easy to answer, but
we can make reliable assumptions. Let’s start with two certainties: the corkscrew was born to extract
A cork from a glass container although not necessarily from a bottle
containing wine; the first patent for a corkscrew dates back to 1795, and is by Englishman Samuel
Henshall. In the early 18th century, the glass bottle container was a rare, expensive item,
Fragile and of not always equal capacity.
In Italy until 1728, the trade of wine in glass containers was prohibited, and one of the reasons
main was given by the need to oppose fraud given the then artisanal production,
did not allow the production of mutually identical bottles with the same capacity.
It was in fact the royal decree of May 25, 1728 that authorized its sale, and this is related to the
appearance of more solid bottles, from England, of the so-called “black-glass” type that
ensured uniformity of capacity. Until then, the wine trade took place in kegs and
barrels, the bottle and mug were used only to bring wine from the cellars to the table and
these same bottles were capped with pieces of wood to which hemp was wrapped around or
of tow for the purpose of making them sufficiently airtight. Later they used caps of
cork, which, however, went beyond the neck of the bottle and were consequently easy to
remove. In essence, bottling was considered an operation intended to last
a few hours or a few days.
The English, a country of skilled traders and navigators, were also lovers of good wine that
imported from Italy, France and Portugal, nations that also produced cork. So glass,
wine and corks. Thus, we have all the prerequisites for the invention of the corkscrew, but at
What was the inspiration for making it? The most reliable theory tells us that there was then an object
metal with a twisted tip, single or double, which served as a bullet claw, a tool in
use as early as the mid-17th century. Contemporary also seems to be the invention
of miniature corkscrews, often made of precious materials, which had the function of enabling
The opening of vials and ampoules containing perfumes, beauty ointments and preparations
pharmaceuticals.
From the interest in the history of this utensil came the passion to collect antique corkscrews
by Paolo Annoni, a pharmacist who was born in Turin and moved to the Langhe 30 years
orsono. Choosing a beautiful and happy location, a former cellar with vaulted ceilings in
brick, relied on the inspired collaboration of Alba architects Danilo Manassero and
Luigi Ferrando and Benevagienna cabinetmaker restorer Massimo Ravera
