Laguiole Magnum in Barrel Oak

The Laguiole Magnum

The Laguiole Magnum is an essential tool for everyday life, whether for family gatherings, friends, or experienced users such as sommeliers at top restaurants or cellar masters at prestigious vineyards. The renowned Laguiole sommeliers, including the Laguiole Magnum, owe their rise in popularity to the "bougnats" or Auvergnats of Paris. The term "bougnat" refers to immigrants who settled in Paris, originally from Auvergne, mainly from the southern part of the Massif

As early as the 17th century, bougnats worked as water carriers, providing water for the baths of bourgeois families, performing the hard tasks others refused to do. By the 19th century, with the arrival of the water supply system in Parisian homes, the bougnats gradually shifted towards the trade of wood, home-delivered coal, beverage service, hotel management, and sometimes even scrap metal trade. They increasingly owned businesses, most notably "Bois et Charbons" (wood and coal shops), and also large brasseries. The husband would deliver coal, while his wife served the customers.

At that time, the Auvergnats formed the largest immigrant community in Paris. Hardworking and tightly knit within their community, many achieved great success. Today, although many Parisian cafés have changed ownership, the bougnat community is still present and enjoys a certain level of financial comfort. A significant number of cafés, hotels, and restaurants in the Île-de-France region are still run by bougnat descendants.

In the daily service of these famous bougnats, the use of a corkscrew was very common. At the beginning of their story, they added a corkscrew spiral to their Laguiole knife. Eventually, they adopted the sommelier, a tool much more practical for their daily tasks.

The Laguiole Magnum is a sturdy sommelier with a curved and ergonomic handle, making leverage easier and ensuring a better grip. For the mentioned model, the handle is made from barrel oak, a wood sourced from old wine barrels from the finest and most prestigious French vineyards. The wine tannin gives the wood purple veins, which turn black on certain models.

The oak-handled Laguiole Magnum features a long, one-piece, two-step lever that makes cork extraction easier. This system is patented. Its spiral is fine and conical, allowing it to screw in effortlessly without overly stretching the cork. It also has a small high-quality blade with easy opening and traditional sharpening, ensuring it doesn’t tear the metal caps of bottles. The spring is hand-engraved and features a forged bee, adding both aesthetics and longevity.

For opening a fine bottle of wine with friends, your Laguiole Magnum in barrel oak will prove invaluable.