Bars and restaurants are being offered a stylish accessory, a dégrafeur, for opening champagne bottles closed with a traditional cork clip.
The limited-edition tool has been introduced by Champagne Henri Giraud to open bottles of its special cuvées, Fût de Chêne and Argonne, which feature the cork clip called an agrafe.
With a shape reminiscent of a traditional leather punch, the handle is produced from the stave of a 100-year-old Argonne oak cask.
The design of the dégrafeur was based around the original Fût de Chêne bottle mould and is slightly offset to accommodate the curve of the bottle to make it easier to remove the cork clip. The forged stainless steel blade is short and sturdy and fully rounded to avoid accidents arising from incorrect use.
Peter Alderin from Searcys St Pancras Grand at St Pancras station in London was one of the first to receive a personalised dégrafeur, presented to him during a visit to the UK by Champagne Henri Giraud’s sales director Julien Girard and export manager Gauthier Vecten, arranged by exclusive UK distributor Coe Vintners.
Peter said: “Not only does the dégrafeur look stylish and elegant when opening an exclusive bottle of Henri Giraud in front of guests, but it speeds up service and creates a brilliant talking point – and it engages your guests to be part of the theatre. We love the connection with the forest of Argonne and the sculptured handle made from centenary barrels.”
Champagne Henri Giraud helps to protect the ancient forest of Argonne through its Forever and Ever Argonne campaign. For every bottle of cuvée Argonne sold, Giraud sponsors the planting and upkeep of a two-year old oak tree for five years. So far the campaign has resulted in 7,000 trees being planted, covering seven hectares in the forest.
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