Sabrage

Sabrage is a technique for opening a champagne bottle with a saber, used for ceremonial occasions. The saber is slid along the body of the bottle toward the neck. The force of the blade hitting the lip breaks the glass to separate the collar from the neck of the bottle. The cork and collar remain together after separating from the neck.

History

This technique became popular in France when the army of Napoleon visited many of the aristocrat domains. It was just after the French revolution and the saber was the weapon of choice of Napoleon's fearsome cavalry (the Hussar). Napoleon's spectacular victories across all Europe gave them plenty of reason to celebrate. During these parties the cavalry would open the Champagne with their sabers. Napoleon probably encouraged this and is known to have said: "Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it."

There are many stories about this tradition. One of the more spirited tales is that of Madame Clicquot who had inherited her husband’s small Champagne house at the age of 27. She used to entertain Napoleon's officers in her vineyard and as they rode off in the early morning with their complimentary bottle of Champagne, they would open it with their saber to impress the rich young widow.

Champagne sword

A Champagne sword is an instrument used to open champagne on ceremonial occasions. The bottle neck is held at an angle of approximately 20 degrees and the sword is cast down on it. The experienced sommelier opens the bottle with small loss of champagne.

The process

Sabrage typically consists of steps such as the following:

The Champagne is chilled for at least 24 hours; cold liquid holds more gas which will limit the spillage.
A heavy saber is seleced, with a rather short blade and broad back; a sturdy kitchen knife will do. In fact, sabrage can even be performed with the base of a rugged champagne glass.
The saber is held in one hand. To preserve the edge of the blade, the back of the saber is often used.
The Champagne bottle is held on its lowest part in the other hand, the wire cage loosened or removed.
The seam of the bottle (running from top to bottom on each side) is located.
The arm holding the bottle is fully extended, and the blade is slid sharply along the seam of the bottle until it hits the lip of the bottleneck. The jolt will break the bottle and its tip will fly away.

Caution:

After sabrage is performed, the collar of the bottle (with sharp edges) remains attached to the cork. The projectile can be dangerous if not aimed safely away from people, animals, and property.
The sabre need only be slid down the length of the bottleneck. A full swing of the sabre is unnecessary, and can result in accidentally striking the hand holding the bottle.
A bottle on which sabrage was unsuccessfully attempted will be somewhat weakened and should be treated with caution.
The risk of injury may be reduced by inserting the thumb in the punt of the bottle, and using the four fingers and hand to support the bottle.
After sabrage is performed, allowing a little of the spray to spill out will help wash away potential glass splinters. Having a glass ready to catch the liquid will help prevent spills.

Physics of sabrage

A Champagne bottle holds a considerable amount of pressure. Early bottle designs used to explode and the manufacturers kept making them thicker until they could contain the pressure that is caused by the release of carbon dioxide during the fermentation. The inside pressure of a typical Champagne bottle will be around 90 psi (6 atm)^{[citation needed]}. The diameter of the opening is 0.7 inches (1.8 cm) so there is a force of about 35 pounds (16 kg) trying to push the cork out of the bottle.

At the opening of the bottle there is a lip that creates a stress concentration. On the vertical seam of the bottle the glass is not as uniform, which creates a second stress concentration. At the intersection of the seam and the lip, both stress concentrations combine and the bottle will be significantly less than half its original strength. The impact of the saber on this weak point creates a crack that rapidly propagates through the glass fueled by the momentum of the saber and the pressure in the bottle. Once the crack has severed the top from the bottle, the pressure inside the bottle and the transferred momentum from the saber will send the top flying, typically for a distance of five to ten meters.

References

External links

Champagne sword article on Wired News
Sabrage Explained article on Japan Times Online