Corkscrew: An Essential Tool for Wine Lovers

A corkscrew is a valuable tool designed to extract corks from wine bottles and other cork-sealed containers. Traditionally, it consists of a sharp metal helix (often referred to as a “worm”) and a handle. The user twists the corkscrew into the cork and pulls it out. Corkscrews are necessary because corks are small and smooth, making them difficult to grip firmly for removal, especially when fully inserted into a glass bottle. Later designs incorporated various leverage systems to increase the force applied to the cork from the outside, simplifying the extraction of stubborn corks.

The design of the corkscrew is based on a twisted metal rod, which has been used since the early 1630s for extracting musket balls when a shot misfired. It is believed that the corkscrew was invented by the English in relation to beer and cider. English agriculturalist John Worlidge described the storage of tightly corked cider bottles in a horizontal position in his 1676 work, Treatise on Cider, but the earliest reference to a corkscrew dates back to 1681, when it was referred to as a “steel worm for drawing corks out of bottles.”

In 1795, Samuel Henshall, a clergyman in England, received the first patent for a corkscrew. He added a disk to the corkscrew’s shaft, now known as the Henshall knob. This disk prevents the worm from going too deep into the cork, forces the cork to move with the handle’s rotation, and helps to loosen the cork stuck to the bottle neck. The disk is designed with a slightly concave underside that compresses the end of the cork, aiding in its intact removal.

Wing Corkscrew

The wing corkscrew, also known as a corkscrew with levers or a butterfly corkscrew, features levers on either side of the worm. When the worm is twisted into the cork, the levers rise. Pushing down on the levers smoothly extracts the cork from the bottle. The most common design includes a ratchet and gear mechanism connected to lever arms. The tip of the shaft often has a bottle opener or foil cutter, increasing the tool’s utility. Such designs are particularly popular in households.

In 1880, William Burton Baker was granted British patent no. 2950 for his double-lever corkscrew, where both levers slide up the shaft. The first American patent was awarded in 1930 to Italian Domenico Rosati, who immigrated to Chicago before Prohibition. Rosati designed a mechanism with an uncovered ratchet and gear system. Later, as the wine market grew, other manufacturers adapted his design.

In 1932, Spanish industrial designer David Olañeta invented and produced a winged corkscrew for his BOJ brand, featuring a ratchet and gear mechanism covered by two side plates. This design was later adopted by others, including Richard Smythe, who received U.S. patent no. 98,968 in 1936 for a similar model named HOOTCH-OWL.

Sommelier Knife

The sommelier knife, also known as a waiter’s friend or wine key, is a folding corkscrew resembling a pocket knife. It was invented by German Karl Wienke in 1882 and patented in Germany, England, and America. When opening a bottle, the shoulder rests against the neck of the bottle to apply greater force. Some sommelier knives feature a two-step lever and often include a bottle opener. A small retractable blade is hidden in the handle for cutting the foil covering many bottle necks. This type of corkscrew allows for quicker (and often more elegant or theatrical) handling than a wing corkscrew. The term “wine key” was derived from the surname Wienke, which was difficult for English speakers to pronounce. As orders for the new Wienke corkscrew were made through catalogs, it gradually lost its original meaning and was simply referred to as a wine opener. Patent no. 283,731, dated August 21, 1883, refers to it as the “C.F.A. WIENKE LEVER CORKSCREW.”

Two-Pronged Corkscrew

The two-pronged corkscrew, also known as the waiter’s friend or “ah so” (from the German expression “ach so!” meaning “now I understand!”), can remove a cork without damaging it. This allows the cork to be reinserted into the bottle after tasting the wine. To remove the cork, the prongs are inserted between the cork and the bottle neck, and the cork is twisted out. To reinsert the cork, it is placed back between the prongs and twisted into the bottle. This type of corkscrew can also remove corks in poor condition.

Lever Mechanism Corkscrew

The lever mechanism corkscrew, or rabbit-style corkscrew, features two handles to grip the bottle neck and a lever that is twisted into the cork. To extract the cork, the same lever is lifted. To retrieve the cork from the corkscrew, a similar pushing and lifting motion is repeated. This type of corkscrew is bulkier and typically more expensive than others but allows for a quicker operation.

Mounted Corkscrew

This type of corkscrew was invented in the late 19th century for households, hotel bars, and restaurants when all bottles were cork-sealed. It is attached to the counter or wall with screws or clamps. As beer began to be sold in bottles, bars needed a quick solution for opening them. Most early mounted corkscrews were designed for opening short-cork beer bottles. Modern models are made for longer wine corks.

Cork Puller

In 1979, American inventor Herbert Allen introduced the cork puller. This device was designed to make opening wine bottles foolproof. The cork puller surrounds the bottle neck, and a plastic screw must only be turned to remove the cork effortlessly. The spiral is coated with Teflon, reducing friction when inserting into the cork and ensuring it can be removed in one piece without pulling. The cork puller is featured in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Other Types of Corkscrews

Many other types of corkscrews exist that are not widely used by consumers. These may be high-priced professional tools or intended for industrial use.