I have always thought that there’s something fundamentally wrong about a sommelier uncorking a bottle of premium wine with a cheap waiter’s friend. In some small way it just seems to undermine what would otherwise be an exceptional dining experience. This small niggling thought has led me on a 12 year journey to design, refine and manufacture what I believe to be the most artistically engineered, user-friendly, durable and reliable wine knife purely dedicated to both wine service and serious wine connoisseurs.

The word ‘Code’ refers to dress-code, and the number 38 was my age when I finally arrived at the final design concept for the Code38. A professional wine knife that was both elegant and intuitive to use…. and had a longer shelf life than the most lovingly cellared cab sav. Achieving this however has been no mean feat. I travelled the world searching for the best wine knives, read books dedicated to the humble corkscrew and engaged in all manner of conversations (including the great closure debate) with wine enthusiasts, restauranteurs and sommeliers across the globe.

In the beginning, I commissioned various industrial design firms to translate my vision into a reality. But the resulting designs typically resembled the mass-produced waiter’s friend. It hit me while riding my trusty BMW to Cape York. I was a trained aircraft instrumentation engineer and had successfully designed and manufactured premium medical treatment tables used by Australian Olympic athletes. I would design the wine knife myself. It started out with a few sketchy lines on a serviette but quickly developed into a working prototype that was tested and embraced by some of Australia’s most renowned sommeliers and restauranteurs.

When it came to manufacture, traditional processes, such as pressing and casting, would not do justice to the design. So after researching the options, I discovered the slightly obscure process of metal injection molding (MIM), normally reserved for Swiss watch, aerospatiale and prestige car manufacturing. This process promised to deliver exceptional part detail and component accuracy.

The next few years were a blur of negotiations and redesigns. But the outcome was sensational. I had engaged a Singapore-based company (which ironically relocated to my home town of Ballarat) to manufacture the main components, a French company to produce the spiral and a local company from Murwillumbah to manufacture a custom bi-load leaf spring.

 

The Code38 is the ultimate in craftsmanship and will be appreciated by anyone serving or enjoying quality wine. Unique features include:

• Solid stainless steel body and components for durability, weight and balance
• Soft, free form lines for comfort and style
• Precision forged and hardened spiral, made in France
• Foil blade design for single-handed use and ease of sharpening
• Well-balanced spring action weight for overall intuitive use
• Ergonomically formed handle for comfort
• Express crown cap remover for bottled water and boutique beers
• Lifetime warranty for peace of mind.

The Code38 is individually hand made which sometimes results in delivery delays.