Sabrage: opening sparkling wine with a sabre

A cold bottle, the seam, one smooth stroke. How to open Champagne, Alta Langa or cava with a sabre or the back of a knife, cleanly and safely.

Opening a sparkling wine with a sabre on a terrace above the Langhe vineyards at dusk

Why it works

Sabrage looks like brute force, but it is really a small piece of physics. A bottle of traditional-method sparkling wine holds around 5 to 6 bar of pressure, two to three times the pressure in a car tyre. The glass is thick and strong almost everywhere, except at one point: where the vertical seam left by the bottle mould meets the raised lip at the top of the neck. That join is the weakest spot on the bottle.

When the blunt back of a sabre slides up the seam and strikes the lip, it sends a sharp shock into that weak spot. A crack starts there and runs around the neck in a ring. The pressure inside does the rest: it pushes the cork, still held in a neat collar of glass, clear of the bottle with a satisfying pop. The edge of the sabre does no cutting at all. A heavy knife used spine first works just as well.

Cold matters for two reasons. Cold wine holds its carbon dioxide better, so less foam rushes out after the break and you lose less wine. Cold also keeps the pressure lower and steadier, and a well-chilled neck tends to break cleanly with a smooth stroke. A warm bottle foams wildly, and its cork is more likely to fly before you are ready.

The tradition is usually credited to Napoleon's cavalry, who supposedly opened Champagne with their sabres after victories. Whether that story is true or not, sabrage survives because it turns opening a bottle into a small celebration. Alta Langa, Piemonte's own Champagne-method sparkling wine, is the local bottle for it. Done well, it is safe, tidy and wastes only a splash of wine.

What you need

Bottle of traditional-method sparkling wine: Champagne, Alta Langa, Franciacorta, cava or crémant: thick glass and high pressure give a clean break.
Champagne sabre: A short, heavy, blunt blade made for the job; the spine does the work, so it needs no sharpening.
Heavy chef's knife (optional): Used spine first, it does the same job as a sabre; avoid thin or flexible blades and never use the sharp edge.
Ice bucket or fridge: To chill the bottle thoroughly, neck included, before you start.
Clean tea towel: For drying the bottle so your grip is secure, and for wiping the rim afterwards.
A clear, open space: At least 8 to 10 metres of empty space in front of you, outdoors if possible, with nothing breakable and nobody in the way.

Step by step

Choose the right bottle Pick a traditional-method sparkling wine in a heavy bottle: Champagne, Alta Langa, Franciacorta, cava or crémant. These have high pressure and thick glass, which is what makes sabrage work. Avoid Prosecco frizzante, other lightly sparkling wines and anything in a thin or lightweight bottle. Tip: Your first few times, use a standard 75 cl bottle. Magnums work, but they are heavier to hold steady and cost more if something goes wrong.
Chill it properly Chill the bottle to about 6 to 8 °C, which takes 3 to 4 hours in the fridge or 20 to 30 minutes in a bucket of ice and water. The neck must be as cold as the rest, so make sure the bucket covers it or turn the bottle upside down in the ice water for the last few minutes. Tip: Don't chill it in the freezer. Ice crystals and uneven cold make the glass behave unpredictably.
Remove the foil and cage Peel off the foil completely, then untwist the wire cage and remove it. From this moment the cork can move on its own, so keep the bottle pointed away from people and rest your thumb over the cork while you get ready. Tip: Some people leave the cage on, loosened and pushed up. It is safer to remove it fully: a cage in the way of the lip can stop the glass breaking cleanly.
Dry the bottle and find the seam Wipe the bottle dry with the tea towel so it cannot slip. Look along the neck for the faint vertical line left by the mould. That seam runs up to the lip, and where they meet is where the glass will break. Turn the bottle so the seam faces up towards you. Tip: If you struggle to see it, run a fingertip up the neck. You will feel a very slight ridge.
Take your stance Hold the bottle firmly by the base, or with your thumb in the punt, at an angle of about 30 to 45 degrees. Point it away from everyone, towards open ground or open sky. Stand side on and keep your other hand and your face well back from the neck.
Lay the blade on the seam Hold the sabre with the sharp edge facing away from you and the spine resting flat on the seam, a little way down the body of the bottle. The blade should lie along the bottle, not across it. Practise the movement slowly a couple of times without hitting the lip, sliding the spine up the seam. Tip: With a knife, use the thick back of the blade near the handle, where it is heaviest.
Slide, don't chop In one smooth, confident movement, slide the spine up the seam and follow through into the lip. Think of it as a firm push that keeps going past the end of the bottle, not a chop. The collar of glass and the cork fly off together and the wine foams up. Tip: Hesitation causes most failures. A timid stroke just bounces off the lip; a confident one with follow-through breaks it cleanly.
Keep the bottle tilted Hold the bottle at the same angle for a few seconds after the break and let the first rush of foam run out. This flushes away any small chips of glass from the opening.
Check the rim and pour Look at the broken edge. A good break is a clean, flat ring. Wipe the outside of the neck, pour the first splash away into the sink or a spare glass, then pour normally. Leave the cork and collar where they landed until you can pick them up safely. Tip: Find the cork and glass collar straight away and put them in the bin. A sharp ring of glass in the grass is the real hazard of a party.
Serve with care Pour slowly down the side of the glass, as you would with any sparkling wine. Never drink straight from a sabred bottle, and don't let anyone touch the broken edge.

Using a knife, or even a glass

A heavy chef's knife or a butcher's knife used spine first works perfectly well. Hold it the same way, sharp edge away from you, and slide the thickest part of the back along the seam. Avoid flexible, thin or serrated blades.

You may see videos of people sabring with the base of a wine glass or a spoon. It can work, because any hard object striking the lip at the seam starts the crack, but the glass may shatter in your hand. Stick to a sabre or a heavy knife.

Making a moment of it

Sabre the first bottle only, at the start of a celebration, while everyone is sober and gathered at a safe distance behind you. Have flutes or tulip glasses ready and pour straight away while the foam settles.

Keep a second, ordinary bottle in the ice bucket. If the first one refuses to break, open it by hand, laugh it off and serve. The wine matters more than the trick.

If something goes wrong

The blade bounced off and nothing happened.

The stroke was too timid, or the blade hit beside the seam. Check the seam is facing up, keep the spine flat on it and slide with more confidence, following through past the lip. Don't increase force wildly; a smooth stroke works better than a hard one.

I've tried several times and it still won't break.

The bottle has probably warmed up, which makes the glass tougher at the neck. Put it back in ice water, neck first, for 10 minutes and try again. If it still refuses, open it with your hands as usual; some bottles are simply very thick.

The neck broke unevenly or lower down.

This usually means the blade struck across the neck rather than along it, or the bottle was not cold enough. Don't serve wine from a bottle with a jagged or chipped edge. Pour it through a fine sieve into a jug if you want to save it, or let it go.

Half the wine foamed out.

The wine was too warm or the bottle had been shaken. Chill to 6 to 8 °C, move the bottle gently and keep it at an angle after the break: a tilted bottle loses much less wine than an upright one.

The cork shot out before I struck the lip.

Once the cage is off, the pressure can push the cork out by itself, especially in a warm bottle. Keep your thumb over the cork until you are ready to strike, and always keep the bottle pointed at empty space.

There are tiny pieces of glass in the first pour.

Small chips can sit in the neck after the break. That is why you let the foam run and pour the first splash away. If you see glass in a served glass, pour that glass away and wipe the neck before pouring again.