Like a bird pecking at something...

If I keep talking about drinks, people might ask, "How much do you actually drink?" Looking back, I feel like I drink almost every day. Consequently, the tools related to drinking are also increasing by the day... This time, I'd like to focus on one of my favorites: the "sommelier knife."

The photo above captures the moment of pulling a cork with a sommelier knife. It might seem abrupt, but doesn't this form resemble a bird pecking at something? The instant I realized this, I found the sommelier knife to be a relatable and lovable object, and I grew fond of it. Before I knew it, I had about 50. But I'm not a collector, by any means.

There's a reason I started collecting sommelier knives. When I was working in product planning for an apparel brand, we considered creating our own stylish accessory for men: a sommelier knife. We needed reference materials for that. The project eventually fizzled out with the question, "What's a clothing brand doing making something like that?" but my desire to design one someday remains.

The Classic French Brand: "Laguiole"

The photo shows a sommelier knife from a French brand commonly known as "Laguiole." It originates from a village of the same name, renowned for its dairy farming, and all its products bear the village's symbol: a bee. Incidentally, the brand's official name is "Forge de Laguiole," but there's another brand bearing the Laguiole name, "Château Laguiole," and it seems there's a never-ending debate, much like the origin dispute of gyudon restaurants, about which one is the original. I'm not collecting specifically from this brand, so I'll omit the brand story, but if you're interested, writer Jun Yamaguchi dedicates a section to it in his book "This is What I Want," so please read it.

There are several types of wine openers, but my favorite is the sommelier knife type, like the one in the photo, which has a corkscrew, a blade, and a bottle opener, all operable with one hand. As this form appeared relatively recently, the absence of antique pieces is also an important point. It would be endless if I bought everything from old to new. By the way, Alessi's human-shaped wine opener is also famous, but those with two handles require both hands to pull out the cork, so I believe they are likely for home use. Sommeliers must open wine while standing, after all. Of course, it's not that being for professionals makes it superior; in fact, the two-handed type is more functional as it allows for vertical pulling. However, I find myself drawn to the professionalism of "covering that with skill."

The sommelier knives in the photo are all classic Laguiole types, where the metal part of the bottle opener that contacts the bottle is integrated with the main body. The form and carvings evoke a sense of nostalgia. By the way, the handle of the sommelier knife in the center of the left column is made of reindeer antler, and the one below it is made of buffalo horn, which is also a specialty of the Laguiole region.

Modernized New "Laguiole"

On the other hand, these are relatively new models from Laguiole. The smoothly curved handle lines reveal a modern touch. For these models, perhaps to simplify the design as much as possible, the bottle opener is located at the base of the blade. At first, I thought it was a good idea, but I find it quite difficult to use in practice... Because of the space for the bottle opener, the blade is positioned further away, making it hard to apply force to cut the seal, which isn't ideal. Perhaps I'm just unskilled, and some professional sommeliers might prefer these, but there are many things you only realize after using them.
(Another aside: The bee design, the trademark, is also simplified in the four knives on the left. The top one is a model that uses aluminum for the handle material, and the bottom one uses snakewood.)