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With so many corkscrew styles available, it would be childish to attempt to decide which type is absolutely best. Here is some light on the subject with a description of common designs.

The corkscrew is such a simple, essential tool in the kitchen that most people don’t realize the differences in the styles available. Knowing why each corkscrew is shaped the way it is and what benefits it offers might help consumers in choosing one that best meets their needs.

The Wing Corkscrew:
Once the screw mechanism is inserted into the cork, this design has two wing-like levers that pull the cork up through its frame when depressed. This model is easy to use and an excellent version for anyone.

The Power Corkscrew:
A wire screw mechanism is inserted into the center of the cork and pulled out with sheer force on part of the user. This one piece design is very portable and has no mechanical parts to lose or break. The design and function are simple but require strength, as the name implies, and some practice. Beware not to spill wine when opening! You may wish to just avoid it.

The Waiter’s Corkscrew:

The waiter’s corkscrew gets its name due to popularity with restaurant staff and bartenders. This compact model folds like a pocket knife and includes a knife for removing wine seals. Its handle is hinged and one end has a support, which rests on the lip of the bottle. Requires some skill but if pulled straight up it works very well. Excellent for those with small kitchens and limited drawer space.

The Twin Prong Cork Puller:
Preferred by wine enthusiasts because it does not damage the cork. This is useful for recorking the bottle or of for closing up new wine.
Instead of using a screw mechanism, this version features two prongs that are wedged into either side of the bottle between the cork and the glass. With a quick twisting motion, the cork is removed from the bottle unscathed. However, this style requires practice to keep from punching the cork into the bottle.

You can set up your own search engine by applying the below method: optionally get a domain name, get hosting, get a PHP wrapper or a blog engine, obtain an API key, copy the Yahoo BOSS caller.

Web hosting

Your website will be accessed from anywhere on the Internet but it actually will reside somewhere: in a computer connected to the Internet. This step is described in the recipe to cook a deft website.

Set-up the website

Open an account at the hosting company. Download an FTP client.
Choose files to wrap up the PHP script. An option is a simple file named index.php. It would start with a few HTML lines.
Another option is to consider a CMS (content management system). You will interact with this software to manage your website. Wordpress is an excellent CMS in that it is both engaging and tremendously enabling.
In your FTP client upload your PHP file or the Wordpress files.

API key

Obtain an application ID from Yahoo.

Search engine PHP script

This PHP script will take a query and gather search engine results. You can change the way these results are displayed. If you learn some PHP you can even transform the results (or recombine them).
What the PHP script does:

• display a form where the user will enter her query;
• capture the query (named $secure_query);
• call Yahoo BOSS;
• receive and process the Yahoo BOSS results;
• display the results.

How to copy it

This PHP script can be placed in any file named something.php. It can notably be inserted into a PHP blog platform. I would advise you to consider Wordpress which is one of the best blog engines and whose license is the same.

You may reuse and propagate this script with this license:
the GPL v2.

Usage: launch a text editor, open your HTML or PHP file, copy and paste this script.

Demo

A version of this script runs if you trigger the search box at the top of this page.

I am progressing. Thanks to the feedback of some fellow bloggers I have come to realize that the directory of wine sites is not so much about quality as it is about popularity. It shows the big names because it is based on Google and traffic. This certainly is useful to have a view of who is important in the wine domain.

I will publish something similar for the food business. It will show the 100 most popular food blogs. So come back here in June.

I am already working on this project. This gives me a view of the food blogging field and enables me to spot interesting authors. I read them and incorporate some of them into the food engine. Cellarer is a search engine with a bias: it prefers lesser-known authors over big firms. Type any food-related query into the top box and you will obtain custom answers: from niche experts.
Cellarer search is about quality related to the niche — which is food, cooking and wine. It takes you to a tour of interesting bloggers. Here are examples: caribbean food, chardonnay, California.

Here is a showcase of winery websites. It is a pleasure for the eyes. I have two remarks.

It takes money

I fail to note a little winery in the list. This might be because only the big operations can afford to pay for web development.

Firms pay for looks

Conversely companies pay for a beautiful picture. It seems many big wineries buy projects on their visual appeal and not on their usability. The side effects include:

• bad navigation,
• lack of search functionality,
• hardly readable content,
• loading problems,
• uselessness on mobiles.

There should be a user department in companies. What do you think?