New Corker

After years of struggling with our bottle corking machine, we finally decided to upgrade to a high quality manual corker. For several years, we’ve used a widely available Portuguese model that gave satisfactory results but it was somewhat inconsistent and left an unsightly dimple on the top of the cork. After researching the little information that’s available on manual corkers, we ordered the Swiss made Amez-Droz Rapid 12 from Davison Winery Supply in Oregon. Unfortunately, the package arrived nearly naked. I have trouble imagining that the people at Davison could have done a worse job at packaging if they tried. The delivery driver stated that it was THE worst packing job he had ever seen. And this treatment was by a retail business that packs winery equipment as a service. The unit was scuffed, scratched and dented. The packing problem was clearly carelessness by the seller and not rough treatment by UPS. This isn’t the first time a “new” product from Davison has arrived superficially damaged, but it will be the last time. We had a good business relationship with these guys since we lived down in Willamette Valley. No more.

This story has a happy ending. The Rapid 12 is awesome. It has a smooth action, sets a perfect cork and is a dream to drive. It was 10 times the price of our little red corker, but it is well made and blue. The swiss blue paint is probably much more expensive too. The corker is no longer the slowest part of our bottling line. I can now save some energy previously spent cursing.

J.H.