Chinnock Cellars

The Chinnock Corkscrew

In 1862, Charles Chinnock, an American and my Great, Great Grandfather’s brother, hit upon an idea of great simplicity and great utility – the first “self puller” corkscrew. His idea consisted of loosely attaching a cylindrical frame on the shank of a worm sufficiently long so that, when the frame came to rest upon the neck of the bottle, continued turning of the handle would cause the cork to rise on the worm. Notice the openings in the frame that let you grab and hold the cork when it’s time to remove it from the screw.

From the Collection of Donald A. Bull.
Patented 1862. USA

You can’t purchase the Chinnock Corkscrew. They are over 160 years old and only a hand full exist.