saber sabrage

The Sabrage is a special technique to open champagne bottles with a saber (sabre in French), usually used as ceremonial. The saber is slid along the bottle body towards the neck with a dry shot. The force of the blade that strikes the lip of the neck is sufficient to break the glass and separate the neck neck from the bottle collar which, together with the cap, is fired away by the force of the gas contained in the wine. If applied correctly, the technique is effective with any sparkling wine.

This practice became popular in Napoleonic France when the army visited the aristocratic domains of the empire. The period was shortly after the French Revolution and the saber was the army's light cavalry election weapon, the ussari. Given the many victories the army had received, there were many festivals during which it was easy to open the bottles with a comfortable and easy-to-reach medium. It seems that during one of these celebrations Napoleon himself said "Champagne! Victory is a merit; defeating a need ", thus encouraging its use and practice.

Champagne Saber entirely handmade in the town of Laguiole.

Blade: 12C27 stainless steel mirrored mirror - not sharpened
Handle: Gray cedar wood
Blade Length: 265mm
Total length: 405mm
Weight: 298g
Packing: wooden box with logos Laguiole en Aubrac