Sabre à Champagne Bacchus L 48cm

This beautiful Sabre / Saber is used to ceremonially open a Champagne bottle. This Saber sits on its wooden base which is 53 cm long. The Sabre itself is made from heavy metal in silver finish and has a deep blue handle. It is adorned with ‘Bacchus’, the Roman God of wine. The height of the Saber on its base is 12 cm, and the Sabre itself is 48 cm long. The total weight os 894 grms. Postage from France included. What a great gift!

Sabrage is a ceremonial technique for opening a sparkling wine bottle, typically Champagne, by striking it with a sword or similar implement. The blade is placed towards the base of the bottle and thrust along the length of the neck, where the 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 technique became popular in France when the army of Napoleon 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 Hussars). 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”, 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 Veuve Clicquot 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.