is a ceremonial technique for opening a sparkling wine bottle, typically

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

, by striking it with a

sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

or similar implement. The blade is placed towards the base of the bottle and thrust along the length of the neck, where force of the striking point 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. The act can be performed using a real

saber A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

or other bladed weapon, but is today most often done using a specialized Champagne sword. Derived techniques can employ almost any flat object as desired. Despite the military origins and stylings of the act, a sharpened edge would be detrimental to the striking effect; Champagne swords are left unsharpened and therefore do not qualify as true weapons, while real sabers must be reversed such that the collar is struck by the dull side of the blade.

History

The technique became popular in France when the army of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

visited many of the aristocratic domains. It was just after the French Revolution and the saber was the weapon of choice for Napoleon's light cavalry (the

Hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

s). 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, who was known to have said, "I drink champagne when I win, to celebrate... and I drink champagne when I lose, to console myself", may have encouraged this. 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 specially made for sabrage. Some swords have short blades, around long and resemble large knives, although others have longer blades. The edges of the blade used should be blunt; a sharpened edge is unnecessary because in sabrage it is the impact that is important. If using a sword with a sharp blade then the flat blunt back of the blade is used. A champagne

bottle A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal ...

can be opened with a spoon, the edge of a modern

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

or other similar items using the same method. The bottle neck is held at an angle of approximately 20 degrees and the

is cast down on it. The experienced ''

sommelier A ''sommelier'' ( , , ), ''chef de vin'' or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the ''s ...

'' can open the bottle with little loss of champagne. However, it is advised to allow a small flow in order to wash away any loose shards of glass that may be adhering to the neck. The first glass poured should also be checked for small glass shards.

Physics

A champagne bottle holds a considerable amount of pressure. With early designs, bottles tended to explode and the manufacturers kept making them thicker until they could contain the pressure caused by the release of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

during secondary fermentation. The inside pressure of a typical champagne bottle is around . The diameter of the opening is , so there is a force of about trying to push the cork out of the bottle. At the opening of the bottle, there is a lip that creates a

stress concentration In solid mechanics, a stress concentration (also called a stress raiser or a stress riser or notch sensitivity) is a location in an object where the stress (mechanics), stress is significantly greater than the surrounding region. Stress concentra ...

. On the vertical seam of the bottle there is a thin, faintly visible, prepared seam, which creates a second stress concentration. At the intersection of the seam and the lip, both stress concentrations combine and the strength of the glass is reduced by more than fifty percent. 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 .

Records

The greatest number of champagne bottles sabered in one minute to be officially recognized by the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

is 68 and was achieved by Mirko Rainer (CH) at the Show Dei Record by Gerry Scotti, in

Milan, Italy Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

on 3 February 2023. Rainer used his own design MRK-Sabre à Champagne. He beat the previous record of 66 held by Ashrita Furman, who managed this feat on 2 August 2015 at the Sri Chinmoy Centre,

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It has a popular large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis, St Albans, and Cambria Heights to the ea ...

. The greatest number of champagne bottles sabered simultaneously was 623. It was officially recognised a world record by an occasion of the Sciabolata del Santero in Santo Stefano Belbo in Italy in June 2016.

References

External links

*
Champagne sword
article on ''

Wired News ''Wired'' is a bi-monthly American magazine that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. It is published in both print and online editions by Condé Nast. The magazine has been in publication since its l ...