We all know the Swiss Army knife as a trusty pocket tool containing various useful tools – depending on the model – such as a knife blade, nail file, saw, fish scaler, scissors, wire scraper, can opener, pliers, screwdriver, hoof cleaner, toothpick, etc. Every great ranger should probably have one in their arsenal. It’s a tool which was initially designed for the Swiss Army and was referred to as an “Offiziersmesser”. American soldiers had trouble pronouncing this in World War II and so the tool became known as the Swiss Army knife.
Today though, I would like to talk about what I comedically dub the “French Army knife”, my favourite tool and bottle opener of choice: the good old “waiter’s friend” or “wine key”.
Patented in Germany by Karle Wienke in 1883, it consists of a flat housing containing a lever-like corkscrew with a knife or auto-foiler, resembling a Swiss Army knife.
New to our Londolozi Safari Boutique
The first patented corkscrew was invented in 1795 by Samuel Henshall when he invented a corkscrew consisting of wooden handle with a worm. So, whilst the waiter’s friend wasn’t the first – and with many others having been designed since, certainly not the last – corkscrew to be invented, it is the most popular amongst waiters, butlers, sommeliers and restaurant staff alike.
The waiter’s friend is a small compact tool which easily fits into a pocket. Unfortunately, this also means that it can easily get lost, and I have lost a few over the years. The knife on the edge is perfect for cutting the foil off a wine bottle and I find it every bit as useful as the blade one finds on a Swiss Army knife. I have used it to peel oranges, hack at blocks of cheese and even open parcels. The bottle cap remover is great for when occasionally enjoying a refreshing beer on a hot summer’s day or any other beverage which is sealed with a crown cap that doesn’t freely screw off. With six and a half turns the worm drives through any cork.
For me the best waiter’s friend design is the Pulltap waiter’s friend, a design patented by Pulltex and made in Spain. The bootlever is a double lever system, allowing one control over extracting the cork with 2 swift lifts in a complete vertical position.
Whilst many people choose to collect stamps, postcards, antique furniture, autographs, soap bars, baseball caps, etc., I enjoy collecting bottle openers. They serve as great reminders of a wine tasting I may have done, a winery I may have visited, a wine I may have enjoyed, or a wine show I may have attended (yes wine reps, hide your corkscrews from me!). I believe that the quality of a bottle opener which a winery chooses to put their brand on is indicative of the quality of the actual wine they produce as well.
Londolozi’s Wine cellar
I also have an interesting love/hate relationship with my waiter’s friends. As mentioned, they easily fit in one’s pocket and I often find myself fidgeting with the opener in my pocket, often leading to cuts on my fingertips from the knife. I am currently working on breaking this bad habit… any tips would be greatly appreciated as the gum, patches, etc. aren’t working.
There are many other types of corkscrews available from “The Wing” to “The Screwpull” and Metrokane’s adaption of “The Rabbit”, yet the waiter’s friend remains my firm favourite.
Which do you prefer using to open a bottle of wine with?
Lovely blog Kim. Interesting information. Love the Londolozi branded wine opener.
Thanks Marinda, our first order of openers for the shop should arrive any day now.
Kim, when we first came back from Germany our waiter did not know how to open a bottle of wine. We had to show him how, he had the tool referred to in the above article. It was so funny!
Hi Joan, that is rather funny, hopefully some of our wine training sessions are paying off. I find it amazing though how some people don’t appear to have opposable thumbs either and really struggle to get a grip with the opener around the neck of the bottle as well. Practice makes perfect!
I’ve always preferred the Ah-so opener. But I have to admit that it fails (or maybe I do!) about 10% of the time! Looks like I’ll need to pick up your fav at my next visit!
Hi Mary Beth, although sometimes tricky to use, the ah-so bottle opener is great for opening older bottles of wine where the cork may be fragile and brittle, it helps to separate the cork from the bottle and pull it out without the cork breaking half way, getting stuck, frustration building up, eventually pushing the cork back in with whatever tool lying around you will fit in the neck, and leading to bits of cork in the wine. But when opening a younger bottle of wine with a cork in good condition, the waiter’s friend is definitely the route to go 😉
How great to get some good advice from an expert! We have at least 4 different cork screws in the drawer and I din’t Really like any of them. Will try tjr advised one! Victoria
Hi Victoria, do let me know what you think once you have tried the trusty waiter’s friend, would love your feedback.
I do hope the “Londolozi” inscribed wine opener is still in the boutique in November 2020! I need a couple of them. Aloha.
Hi Judy, great to hear from you, hopefully the sell well and then they will continue to be a firm favourite stocked in the boutique 😉
Our only regret is that standard wine bottles should have been designed for two people to enjoy!
Hi Bob & Lucie, I couldn’t agree with you more… But I like to think this gives each person the opportunity to enjoy a bottle of their preferred wine without any squabbling over which bottle to pick.
There is an interesting story though behind why a standard bottle has a capacity of 750ml and it stems from when bottles were made by hand by glass blowers in the 16th and 17th centuries. A typical glass blower’s lung capacity was about 750ml and thus with one breath they could make a bottle.
Disclaimer: As per the World Health Organization – Men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week….
Great options here and especially agree with the correlation between wine & corkscrew quality.
Traditional for small dinner parties and Metrokane for larger gatherings.
Hi Vin, great to hear from you. The Metrokane Rabbits are great for quickly opening your bottles, not quite as romantic as the waiter’s friend, but useful tools when numerous bottles are needing to be opened.
Forgot to say “THANKS “ for a great visit & personal experience! Really enjoyed 2 parties for #70! 🎈
Kim, so nice to see another blog from you that includes some great tips. In one of my careers I worked for a winery in the Napa Valley and had the opportunity to collect a few wine thieves from various tastings I attended. I was trained to use the Ah So while working at the winery, but I preferred the wine thief or a screwball. On my last trip to Paris I found that I needed something to remove the cork from the bottle of wine I purchased as the apt. I had rented did not have anything decent to use, so I went to the local Nicolas and bought the best wine thief I have ever used – the Coutale. Now I travel with it, just in case. Looking forward to tasting more delicious SA wines in March, and perhaps a bit of bubbly as well……
Hi Denise, lovely to hear from you. Glad to hear I’m not the only one with a problem collecting openers as I go, I haven’t seen a Coutale locally in South Africa, will keep a lookout for one. Looking forward to some more wine in March, it will definitely be hot so perfect for some bubbly…