21 June 2017

Le musée du Tire-bouchon, Ménerbes, Vaucluse (84)

This place is in a vineyard well away from the tourist trap village of Ménerbes itself, which forces a three euro car parking charge on you before you enter it. As we came here after very briefly viewing the village, the peacefulness of it was a great welcome.


The museum shop, which also includes exhibits, prepares the visitor for things to come.

A self portrait of Alexis Grimou (1678–1733) is the first exhibit which greets the museum visitor, and is one of the first pictorial representations of the corkscrew.

The 'Rotary Eclipse' bar corkscrew.

French corkscrew.

English corkscrew.

Decorative corkscrews.

Popeye corkscrew, Sweden 1937.


Corkscrew given by Jean-Claude Brisville, the author of the play Le Souper.

German left-handed corkscrew.

Late 19th century French revolver corkscrew with a different worm from the original.


US Syroco corkscrew called 'The Waiter'.

US Red Devil bottle opener and corkscrew.

These two remind me of a priapic and semi-priapic Manneken-pis of Brussels, but what of that corkscrew in the background?

It goes without saying that these erotic corkscrews are a great hit when schoolkids visit the museum.

French 'Zizag' corkscrews, 1919-28.

'Cep de vigne' corkscrew.

The multi-purpose advertising device: Cointreau.

The folding corkscrew.

The 'Suntory' Japanese corkscrew.

An unusual multi-purpose tool.

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