I can't believe I can buy it for just 100 yen! Seria and Daiso have "Sommelier Knives"

Wine-related goods are now commonly seen at 100-yen shops, including wine glasses , wine coolers, paper wine bags , and wine caps to cover partially consumed wine.

I'm sure that more and more people are enjoying wine on a daily basis. As someone who works in the wine industry, I'm happy to see that the popularity of wine is expanding. I hope that there will continue to be an increase in affordable wine goods.

By the way, here is an article introducing the shockingly high quality wine glasses I discovered at Daiso last year.

▶I found some incredibly authentic wine glasses at Daiso! However, there are some things that bother me...

However, even though the selection of wine goods at 100 yen shops has increased, I thought that the sommelier knife, which is the tool of our trade as sommeliers, would not be sold there. The one I use costs about 25,000 yen, and the more expensive ones cost about 40,000 yen. I had the impression that even the cheapest ones would cost at least 1,000 yen.

But, just to be sure, I went round Seria and Daiso, and lo and behold!

They were readily available. Sommelier knives were available at Seria and Daiso.

What an amazing time we live in...

For us sommeliers, the sommelier knife is one of the most important tools of our trade. Many of us consider it a lifetime item.

When I decided to take the sommelier exam, I bought a sommelier knife one year before the exam so that I could take the practical exam with a sommelier knife that I was familiar with. I used it every day at the store from then on, and as a result, I think I was able to take the practical exam without being nervous. That's how much the sommelier knife is considered a tool that is "part of the hand" in our work.

Now you can buy them at 100 yen shops. Wow. But that's okay. I realized that "opening wine with a sommelier knife" is no longer something special on the Japanese dining table.

By the way, a "sommelier knife" is, of course, a "tool for opening wine corks" = a "wine opener." However, its structure has the following features:

These three points are essential. In other words, although it is called a knife, it is actually a tool that combines three parts : a knife, a screw, and a hook .

As you can see from the photo, the structure is quite complicated. There are many parts. Therefore, I have no idea how they could make this into a product that sells for 100 yen.

However, the fact that it is actually being sold at 100 yen stores means that the world of manufacturing has advanced to a degree that I could never have imagined. Amazing.

Now, the question is, can these 100-yen sommelier knives actually be used? No matter how well they are shaped, there's no point if they're actually useless. So, I'll review them. I, a humble man who has been "opening wine in my own way for 11 years," would like to examine the features and ease of use of each one.

Let's take a look at these points in parts 1) to 5).

First, this.

[Seria] "Sommelier Knife"

The straight handle is a distinctive feature of this knife. It is probably based on the famous French knife "DELUC" . (You can purchase the DELUC sommelier knife here .)

Now, let's get started with the review based on the evaluation criteria mentioned above.

1) The knife has grooves so it can be pulled out smoothly without using force.

The sharpness of the knife is not bad.

2) The screw is shorter than normal, with 3 and a half turns (most normal screws have 4 and a half turns). With short screws like this, I think it's better to screw them all the way into the cork in one go (as I'm worried the cork will break when I try to remove it).

Screw it onto the cork. It went in pretty smoothly.

3) Use the principle of leverage to remove the bottle. While holding the hook part of the tool so that it does not slip off the mouth of the bottle, lift the lever part up.

At this point, the T-shaped connection was a little wobbly. It seemed a little weakly made. But I managed to pull it out. It seemed like it took quite a bit of force.

4) The handle is straight, but not difficult to use. However, when I put pressure on the metal joints and shook it, it didn't feel very sturdy. If I remove a hard cork stopper multiple times, the joints may break. But, if it's a 100 yen shop, I might buy it again.

5) It also has a bottle opener function. Very convenient.

Overall score: 4 points (out of 5)

It's easy to use and has all the basic functions. This is amazing for a 100 yen shop. The "Duruk" that it seems to be modeled after has a market price of 4500 yen, so if you compare the price alone, it's 1/45. Wow.

Next up is Celia.

[Seria] "Arch-shaped wine opener"

1) The knife has a groove for pulling it out, but you still need to use a bit of force to pull it out. Use your fingernail to pull it out.

Look closely at the picture below. The screw needle is pointing towards you! This is dangerous. Be careful not to prick your finger with the needle.

The sharpness of the knife is not bad.

2) The screw has 4 and a half turns, which is long enough. The screw itself is a little thick, so it takes a little force to screw it in, but it goes in without any problems.

3) In the case of a screw with 4.5 turns, the lever action will come out more smoothly if it is done in two actions.

First, when you screw it into the cork, it is important to leave about one turn of the cork. Then, take one action (the movement to remove it) in that state.

Then, screw the screw all the way in and pull it out with one more action.

Finally, I used my index finger and thumb and it came out easily with no problems.

4) As mentioned above, when the screw is closed, the needle part at the tip of the screw sticks out. There is a risk that this needle will hit your finger during each operation (it actually did hit me a little).

I personally think that products with the needles pointing outwards by default are quite dangerous. It may just be a difference between individual products though.

5) Has a bottle opener function.

Overall score: 3 points (out of 5)

It was sturdy and easy to use, but the risk of the needle pricking your finger is still a bit of a problem.

Next up, the Daiso sommelier knife.

[Daiso] "Stainless Steel Sommelier Knife"

The shape is very similar to the Seria "arch-shaped wine opener" mentioned earlier.

1) The knife has a groove to pull it out. It takes a little bit of force, but once you get it to 90 degrees, it's easy to unfold it to 180 degrees.

The sharpness of the knife is no problem.

2) The screw is exactly four and a half turns long. The screw looks a little thin. It goes into the cork smoothly.

3) In the same way as Seria's "arch-shaped wine opener," do not screw it in all the way in one go, but remove it in two actions.

I was able to remove it without any problem.

4) However, the corners of the stainless steel are a bit sharp and not rounded enough. Some people may feel that the edges dig into their hands when they put pressure on them, which can be painful. I didn't feel that much pain, though.

5) It has a bottle opener function.

Overall score: 5 points (out of 5)

summary

Of the ones I tried this time, I found this "Daiso Stainless Steel Sommelier Knife" to be the easiest to use. It doesn't seem to be a problem for everyday use. However, if you are concerned about the sharp edges of the stainless steel, you might be better off choosing the one from Seria.

Overall, I felt that both the Seria and Daiso knives were more useful than I expected. I got the impression that they all met the basic standards. However, I felt that they might not be quite enough to be used as a regular sommelier knife in my shop. Even with the Daiso one, which I gave the highest score to, the sharpness of the stainless steel edge is still a concern if I were to use it all the time.

Finally: About the sommelier knife

By the way, the "very easy to use" sommelier knife used by the part-time staff at my shop is the "Pultaps Sommelier Knife" made by the Spanish company Pultex.

It fits well in the hand and is sturdy enough to withstand heavy use. It also has a "W hook" that allows you to remove the screw in two stages after first screwing it all the way in. This makes it easy even for beginners. It's also nice that you can buy it for around 1000 yen.

▶Rakuten Market (Pull Taps Sommelier Knife)

By the way, let me introduce the sommelier knife that I use for work. I have been using it for over eight years, and it is still working fine without breaking or bending.

The brand is "Laguiole en Aubrac . " "Laguiole" is the name of a village in France that makes cutlery such as sommelier knives and table knives and forks. The village of Laguiole is home to artisans and manufacturers who make tableware. It may be easier to understand if you think of it as being similar to the Tsubame-Sanjo region of Niigata in Japan.

The Laguiole en Aubrac sommelier knife that I use has a beautiful curve. I think that this shape fits the hand well and provides stability when drawing wine. I really like it.

▶ Global Online Shop (Laguiole en Aubrac Buffalo)

▶Laguiole official page

The most well-known brand in the village of Laguiole is Chateau Laguiole .

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A post shared by LIGNEW & Château LAGUIOLE (@lignew_chateau_laguiole)

The sommelier knife that was created in 1993 in collaboration with the famous French sommelier Guy Vialis became a worldwide bestseller and is known as the standard sommelier knife among Japanese professionals and wine lovers. In terms of tradition, construction, ease of use, and price, many sommeliers consider the Chateau Laguiole to be the original and first-class.

▶ Riedel Online Shop (Chateau Laguiole)

By the way, there is also a high-end brand called "Laguiole" in the same village of Laguiole. Its official name is "Forges de Laguiole" . Both Laguiole and Laguiole refer to the same village of "LAGUIOLE", but Laguiole is the pronunciation in northern France, while Laguiole is the pronunciation in southern France. Laguiole is characterized by a slightly plump, rounded design. This brand is also very popular among sommeliers.

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A post shared by FORGE DE LAGUIOLE (@forgedelaguiole)

▶ Enoteca Online Shop (Forges de Laguiole)

Even a 100 yen sommelier knife can achieve its purpose of "pulling out the cork from the wine in front of you". High-end Laguiole knives cost over 40,000 yen, while Seria and Daiso's are less than 1/400 of that, at 100 yen. However, in terms of functionality, such as uncorking the wine to drink, it's hard to imagine that it's worth less than 1/400 of that. Even though it costs 100 yen, it still works.

However, wine is a drink with a history. It has a cultural story spanning thousands of years, and the shape of wine today is the result of craftsmen passing on their techniques from parent to child. It is easy to imagine that sommelier knives, an essential item for wine, have been made with the same pride by knife craftsmen.

Times have changed, and now wine has become a drink that can be enjoyed easily even here in Japan, and in the same way, sommelier knives have become easily available.

There are high-end French wines that are handmade, and 500 yen everyday wines. There is Laguiole, Seria, and Daiso. There are crafts and mass-produced products. I think we are living in an age of such diversity.

In my opinion, if you don't want anything complicated and just want to enjoy wine casually, a 100 yen sommelier knife will be sufficient.

On the other hand, if you want to delve a little deeper into the diversity and cultural appeal of wine, it might be worth splurging a little. If you think you'll have many opportunities to open wine in the future, it might be a good idea to explore the world of crafts such as Laguiole.

By the way, 99% of New Zealand wines , which I love, do not use corkscrew caps. In recent years, New Zealand wines have been the mainstay of my shop, so I have had much less opportunity to use a sommelier knife (even high-end wines that cost over 10,000 yen in New Zealand may use screws).

Screw caps. All from NZ Wine.

If you find it troublesome to use a sommelier knife, it might be a good idea to choose a New Zealand wine with a screw cap. I also run a wine shop that specializes in New Zealand wines .

However, in the world of wine, cork stoppers will probably continue to be used. No matter how popular screw stoppers become, the idea that high-quality European wines are corked remains almost unchanged.

So, even though I usually use a screwdriver, when an important situation arises where I need to use a sommelier knife, I have to make sure that the sommelier doesn't think, "That sommelier is really bad at removing corks." I want to make sure I don't neglect my "secret practice" of removing corks!