Don’t try this at home! (without Josh’s tips). In 3 easy steps you too can saber a Champagne bottle for your next celebration. Check out our 1-minute video on everything you need to know.
In this video we actually use Prosecco. There is some debate over whether you can use sparkling wine other than Champagne but according to Josh, anything with a mushroom cork and a cage will work just fine. So you don’t need to splurge to make a splash!
All you need is your bottle of sparkling and the saber of your choice. Wine Enthusiast sells two options: here and here
(the truth is you could use a regular knife as well, but where’s the drama in that?)
Champagne (or Prosecco or Cava or Sparkling Wine) Sabering Steps:
1) Chill bottle until ice cold
2) Remove the cage on the bottle. With your saber in one hand and the bottle in the other, find the seam on the bottle.
3) Carefully run the sword along the seam in one smooth motion from the bottom to the top. Boom!
If you try this at home please be careful! And send us a video! How did it go?
9 Comments
Wendy
May 19, 2019 - 2:05 pmLooks like this results in your losing a great deal of the wine.
Josh Farrell
June 24, 2019 - 1:37 pmHi Wendy, how much wine is lost will depend on how cold the bottle is and how careful you are. Unfortunately some wine will be lost no matter what, Cheers!
Sue
June 23, 2019 - 1:20 pmI did this and the bottle broke off clean. What did I do wrong and can you drink the wine after this happens
Josh Farrell
June 24, 2019 - 1:36 pmHi Sue, if the neck breaks off cleanly and there is no glass in the bottle you can safely drink the wine. Cheers!
sidd Banerji
July 22, 2019 - 9:32 amNice effort but not to adopt.Glass breaking is every possibility.No good reason to be a Killjoy.
Ilona Johnson
December 17, 2020 - 11:14 amWhat does a Sherry glass look like?
Teresa Afonso
March 8, 2021 - 2:22 pmYou should’ve mentionned the bottle has to be really cold or it will blow up to your face. It is not that easy to do it and use very much caution.
I am a certified Saber from the Confrerie de Sabre d’Or in Champagne France. There are lot’s of accidents. Do another Video please with more cautions. Thank you.
William Moore
September 11, 2021 - 5:38 pmThe trick to avoid losing any wine or as little as possible: have the bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine ice cold, having been chilling in a bucket with brine made with a handful of salt and crushed ice and as much cold water to make a slushy brine. When the bottle is ice cold, remove the foil cap, loosen the wire cage a bit and find the seam of the bottle. have an empty bucket underneath to catch any overflow, hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle, start at the mid section of the bottle running the ‘sabre’ or a heavy butcher knife along the seam blunt side against the bottle, with a quick and forceful whoosh, and the cork along with the bottle lip should fly off in one piece. Make sure you aim away from people and any windows as the flying cork could hurt someone or break a window.,
Joe
June 13, 2022 - 2:43 pmHave seen this demonstrated live at American Wine Society (AWS) Meetings, and its an astonishing event; wine is definitely drinkable; just check for glass fragments in the sipping glass, but the surging foam and wine seem to drive fragments away. Never seen any glass fragments in my glass! Its a cool demonstration that only takes a couple bottles of Champagne to perfect the stroke. Practice, consume. and enjoy!