Product Review: Avina Wine Tools Swan Corkscrew

Fellow wine enthusiasts, you know the drill. Birthdays, holidays, and “thinking of you” gifts all come in the form of…wine accessories. Go ahead, look in your kitchen drawers, wine credenza, or wherever you stash that stuff. How many corkscrews, Rabbits, and wine glass charms do you have? And I’m sure, especially when it comes to corkscrews — despite the many options you may have — there’s the one you just always use. Yes, I am the same way. So when offered a chance to try Avina Wine Tools Swan, I was skeptical to say the least. Stick with me, friends, this is worth the read.

Personally, my default tool of choice is the double-hinged waiter’s friend. I’m a very tactile person, using my two hands and a little force makes me feel like I’m more in control: no foil-cut fingers or cork breakage when using my waiter’s friend. I’m also, to some degree, a little lazy: the fact that this is like the swiss army knife of wine openers saves me on a daily basis.

Now I had a brief affair with the bunny ear corkscrew. It was, of course, a gift. Admittedly, it had its perks. I found I didn’t even need to cut the foil when using this contraption — the screw was strong enough to penetrate right through and break the foil delicately as the cork lifted out of the bottle. Amazing. What wasn’t amazing was all the little fiddly parts that make up the bunny ear corkscrew. It’s not the most solid piece of equipment (and, yes, I had the higher end, not the knock off) — when it breaks, it’s hard to find the parts to fix it and then, well, fix it. RIP bunny.

I’ve used a twist and pull corkscrew way back when. Way back when I was still living with my parents and it was use that or be trapped outside of wine. The sheer amount of cork massacre and wine death that took place (granted this one was about 30 years old and a tad rusty) — unforgivable. In the bin it went. (Sorry, no photo).

The winged, or “butterfly,” corkscrew is another old-school contraption I came across in my earlier wine days and learned to use because it was the only opener available to me at the time. Though there was less mess than with the twist and pull, I always found the mechanics of it — the choreography, really — quite cumbersome. And still do. Between my butterfly and my waiter’s friend — no competition.

Enter the Avina Swan. It is also a winged contraption and, hence, even more skepticism and hesitation on my part. “The cool pink silicone body is easy to grip & the wide lever corkscrew arms makes opening bottles a breeze,” said the insert. Sure.

Oh, and did I mention it’s pink and therefore “cute?” As I often say about those sickly sweet rosés that come my way — I’m girly, but I’m not that girly. So the pinkishness, like the silicone, really struck me as, well, gimmicky. But like I say about all the wines I taste (yes, even the sickly sweet rosés) — I will try anything once because you never know when you’ll find your new fav.

Try it I did. Readers, I will never lie to you. And, per my sample policy, if a product (wine, food, or otherwise) is not good, I will not write about it. The Avina Swan…it’s good. And not just cute to match your spring-time decor good. I mean, this was the smoothest butterfly corkscrew I’ve ever used. I didn’t feel like I was fighting with the cork, trying to decide which way to twist — the screw just kind of melted in. Butterfly wings up (although to me they always look more like arms), push them back down, and the whole cork came out in one go — another, sort of, anomaly in my book. I actually said to my partner in wine crime, “Wow, that’s the smoothest corkscrew I’ve used in awhile.”

Is the Avina Swan my new fav? My new go-to wine-opener? Honestly, I’ll probably always default to my waiter’s friend. But the Avina Swan is now my official back up (sorry weird corkscrew from Trader Joe’s).

So no, I will not be re-gifting this wine gift. But you can go out and buy your own.

Or buy one for your friend who really is that girly…

Retail price is $24 available on the Avina Wine Tools website. Here are a few other happy details:

• HAPPY CUSTOMERS LOVE OUR GUARANTEE – designed to last, this winged corkscrew is backed with our ‘You Break It, We Replace It’ guarantee.
• GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY – For each purchase a donation is made to Breast Cancer Charities
• Get 15% off using Promo Code: AVINA15A

I received the Avina Swan as a sample for review. This in no way influences my opinion on the product. For details visit my sample policy page.

BriscoeBites officially accepts samples as well as conducts on-site and online interviews. Want to have your wine, winery or tasting room featured? Please visit the Sample Policy page and then Contact Me directly. Cheers!