The Great Durand Cork Remover

Here in Hong Kong I bought something that looks identical to a Durand and may well be one just boxed for a local wine dealer. It cost me HK$180 (~US$23).

I’ve since seen other local dealers with their brand on the packaging for a similar price.

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Thanks. I looked it up as well as soon as I saw post #1. Methinks Tom doesn’t like Durand, and is stirring the pot.

Real men do not read instructions. Instead, years ago when I first got one and tried to put the prongs through the slots (with little success), I watched their video.

See The Durand In Action - The Durand

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Forgive the drift (but this is WB) - how aggressive is the aerator? I use a funnel to decant newly opened bottles to .375 bottles for storage as I’m the only wine drinker in the household. I need to replace my plastic funnel with stainless and would like a filter but it seems that aerating is counter to what I’m trying to achieve. I know that there are food-grade stainless funnels with filters and no aerator but I’ve not seen any specifically for wine.

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Norpro 242 Stainless Steel Funnel with Strainer, 3-Inch Mouth Diameter

  • This elegant stainless steel funnel lets you decant the wine the professional way and without splashing all over.
  • Its removable, mesh strainer filters sediments and tannins, allows wine to breathe and develop stronger aromas.

https://a.co/d/52GyI3y

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Looks good, thanks. Though I was hoping for one that wouldn’t filter out the tannins :sunglasses:

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Can we get a BD offer on a Durand @ToddFrench ? :wink:

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I am friends with the Taylor family - I think I asked once, long ago, but need to ask again

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I think they say it’s patent pending. I’ve always suspected that a patent could be successfully challenged because the “technology” is fairly obvious. But there probably isn’t enough money in making knock-offs to cover the legal expenses.

Maybe someone could just import some of those Hong Kong copies and let the Durand folks come after the importers. Probably not worth Durand’s money to hire lawyers either.

Hong Kong is pretty strong at prosecuting knock-offs these days, so I guess Durand could take action here if they have an international patent. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they just licensed them here. The manufacturing cost must be less than US$10, say $10 licensing fee and $3 for the HK distributor (who I’ve only seen selling them as add-ons to significant orders). I can see that being a possible arrangement.

Hard to say about the “aggressive” part. I’ve never compared it to another one. The Rabbit is in two parts, can be used together or separately. I pretty much just use the funnel/aerator for young wines. The strainer is flat-bottomed. Depending on the decanter opening width, it can fit right on top. I mostly use it for pouring the last 1/4 of a bottle with sediment right into the stem. It fits perfectly on top of my stems. I still pour carefully, but the strainer is gold for doing that.

I don’t find the aeration to be very aggressive at all. The only issue is that it is closed at the bottom and the wine comes out through holes at the side of the base, which can cause a problem if you try to use it to decant back into a bottle. After experiencing a wine geyser, I now use the Rabbit to filter into a decanter and another funnel to transfer the wine back into the bottle when I double decant.

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All this fuzz and and @TomHill is nowhere to be found (again) :joy:

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Good news, looking very possible for BerserkerDay 15…

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Well… I really have no comment I can add. Mea culpa. As J.Robert Oppenheimer said after his hearing…“I was an idiot” !!
Tom

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No sweat, Tom - looking forward to discussing it with you again next year!

:smiling_imp:

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Another big fan here. Great to see it likely being offered for Berserker Day. Even though I won’t buy one for myself, since mine shows no real signs of needing replacement (I wipe clean the tongs each time from cork residue, etc.), I may buy some to gift. I have never lost a cork with the Durand and it is so easy to use. With how much we spend on wines, it is a fantastic value, even at full retail.

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One big positive about this thread is that it is convincing me to get a Durand!

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Essential, if you have any wine 15 years or older, truly.

And wait for BerserkerDay…just in case!

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When does the patent on the Durand expire? It has been around for a long time now.