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The history of the wine opener, from steel worm to wine key
Who invented the corkscrew, where the waiter's friend came from, and how a 17th-century steel worm became the double-lever wine key in every sommelier's pocket.
Updated October 2026
Rewritten by Alper Billik, Advanced Sommelier
4 min read
The short answer: the corkscrew appeared in the 17th century, once cork became the usual stopper for glass bottles. The earliest written mention is English, from 1681. The first corkscrew patent went to an English clergyman, Samuel Henshall, in 1795. The waiter's friend, the folding wine key sommeliers use, was patented by the German Carl Wienke in 1883.
No, the Egyptians didn't have one
You will read online that the ancient Egyptians invented the corkscrew. There is no evidence for it. A corkscrew only makes sense once a cork sits deep inside a glass bottle neck, and that became normal in the mid-17th century. Before that, wine travelled in jars and barrels, as in wine's clay-pot beginnings.
The timeline
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1681 | Nehemiah Grew describes “a Steel Worme used for the drawing of Corks out of Bottles”, the earliest written reference |
| 1795 | Rev. Samuel Henshall is granted the first corkscrew patent in England, with a button that stops the worm going too deep |
| 1879 | Lucian C. Mumford of San Francisco patents a two-prong cork extractor, the ancestor of the Ah-So |
| 1883 | Carl F. A. Wienke of Rostock, Germany, patents the folding lever corkscrew: the waiter's friend |
| 1979 | Herbert Allen, a Houston engineer, invents the Screwpull with its long, non-stick worm |
| 1992 | Pulltap's in Barcelona patents its two-step lever corkscrew |
| 2007 | The Durand, a screw and two prongs used together for fragile old corks, goes on sale |
- 1681
- What happenedNehemiah Grew describes “a Steel Worme used for the drawing of Corks out of Bottles”, the earliest written reference
- 1795
- What happenedRev. Samuel Henshall is granted the first corkscrew patent in England, with a button that stops the worm going too deep
- 1879
- What happenedLucian C. Mumford of San Francisco patents a two-prong cork extractor, the ancestor of the Ah-So
- 1883
- What happenedCarl F. A. Wienke of Rostock, Germany, patents the folding lever corkscrew: the waiter's friend
- 1979
- What happenedHerbert Allen, a Houston engineer, invents the Screwpull with its long, non-stick worm
- 1992
- What happenedPulltap's in Barcelona patents its two-step lever corkscrew
- 2007
- What happenedThe Durand, a screw and two prongs used together for fragile old corks, goes on sale
Where the spiral came from
Collectors like to say the corkscrew grew out of the gun worm, a spiral tool for pulling stuck wadding out of a musket barrel. It is a good story and the shape fits, but nobody has proved it. What we know is that by 1681 a “steel worm” for corks was ordinary enough for a scientist to use it as a comparison in a museum catalogue.
Henshall's button
The Reverend Samuel Henshall's patent, granted on 24 August 1795, added a small disc, the button, between the worm and the shank, so the worm could not go too deep into the cork. Corkscrews had existed for more than a century, but his was the first to be protected by a patent.
The waiter's friend
In 1883 Carl Friedrich Albert Wienke, from Rostock in Germany, patented a corkscrew with a lever that rests on the lip of the bottle and folds away like a pocket knife. Add a small blade for the foil and you have the waiter's friend, still the tool on every restaurant floor. In 1992 Pulltap's, in Barcelona, patented the two-step lever: the first step lifts the cork halfway, the second brings it out straight, so long corks bend and break far less.
The openers we use today
- Waiter's friend (double lever): the sommelier's tool. Light, quick, fits a pocket. See the best wine keys for sommeliers and my Code38 review.
- Winged corkscrew: the two arms rise as the screw goes in; push them down to lift the cork. Easy at home, less precise with long or old corks.
- Lever openers: they clamp onto the neck and pull the cork with one movement of a handle. Fast for big parties.
- Ah-So: two prongs that slide around an old, soft cork and lift it out whole. See how to use an Ah-So.
- The Durand: a screw and an Ah-So together, for very old, fragile corks.
- Electric openers: battery-powered, with a button to drive the screw in and draw the cork. Handy if your hands or wrists hurt.
- Coravin: not an opener at all. A needle goes through the cork, the wine is poured under argon, and the cork stays in.
How to use a waiter's friend
- Cut the foil below the lip of the bottle with the little blade, and lift it off.
- Centre the point of the worm on the cork, tilted slightly, then straighten it as it bites.
- Turn until only one curl of the worm is left above the cork. Let the screw drill; don't push.
- First step: set the lower notch on the lip and lift the handle.
- Second step: move to the upper notch and lift again until the cork is almost out.
- Ease the last bit out by hand, quietly. A sommelier never pops a still wine.
Questions people ask
Who invented the corkscrew?
No single person. Corkscrews were in use in England by 1681. The first patent was granted to the Reverend Samuel Henshall in 1795.
Who invented the waiter's friend?
Carl Friedrich Albert Wienke of Rostock, Germany, who patented the folding lever corkscrew in 1883.
What is a wine key?
The everyday trade name for the waiter's friend: a folding corkscrew with a lever and a small foil blade. Sommeliers use the two names for the same tool.
What opener do sommeliers use?
A double-lever waiter's friend for most bottles, and an Ah-So or a Durand for old, fragile corks.
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