The Champagne Saber is a ceremonial sword/saber used for Sabrage "the art of opening a champagne bottle with a sabre". The tradition started in the late 1700's by Napoléon & the Hussars (see The Legends of Sabrage below). Sabrage ceremonies have been common in Europe for centuries, and the practice has expanded vastly worldwide in the 21 century.

Today you can find hundreds of champagne sabres for sale. You'll see them used daily in such places as the St. Regis Hotels. Inspired by the French tradition, few European artists make traditional high quality sabres. Laguiole en Aubrac, Maserin, Fox Knives, Due Cigni, Viper & WKC are some of todays exceptional manufactures of champagne sabres. Always look for the country of origin and a certificate of authenticity when purchasing a quality sword. You can find less expensive sabres that are nice, but if the seller fails to note the manufacture or country of origin then buyer beware!

On the technical side, The Champagne Sabre is a Ceremonial Sword, NOT A WEAPON. Champagne Sabers are NOT SHARP. The blades are made of stainless steel and have dull edges that will not cut and are perfect for striking a bottle. In battle a balanced sword is essential to defeat a formidable foe. In sabrage the champagne bottle is defenseless, so if your sabre isn't perfectly balanced trust me, you'll still get a good strike if you follow well documented instruction on how to sabre a bottle of champagne. Hint, the bottle pressure does most of the work. I've seen sabrage performed with a shoe, an "unbalanced" shoe!

Champagne is a delightful experience in itself, but opening your bottle with a saber adds a new dimension and adventure to the practice. At any event Sabrage captures the audience, creates lifelong memories and inspires tradition. Of course anyone welding a sword is bound to capture attention!

This art is common at weddings, grand openings, retirement celebrations, birthdays, promotion celebrations or any occasion worth celebrating. Yet some celebrate Tuesday just because it's Tuesday. And why not indulge in sabrage on a Champagne Tuesday?

The Legends of Sabrage

There are several legends of the story of Sabrage or Sabering Champagne.

One says that when the officers of Napoleon’s army returned home after a victory, cheering townspeople would hand bottles of Champagne as tokens of their appreciation for their victory and gallantry.

Since the soldiers were mounted on horseback it was difficult to hold the reins of the horse and remove both the foil, wire basket (muselet) around the cork and the cork (bouchon) at the same time, so the soldiers simply took out their sabers and struck it against the lip of the bottle with an upward blow and sabered off the cork. Voilà!