Sabrage: the ritual of the Napoleonic generals after each victory of the emperor
He was a recurring ritual of the high officers of the Napoleonic army: after each win, that of the pyramids on the Mamluks which put an end to 700 years of domination of that people over Egypt, those of Marenco, Ulm and Austerlitz over the Austrians, that of Jena over the Prussians, that of Friedland over the Russians, punctually toasted by drinking champagne. But the bottle was not torn in the traditional way, but rather the senior officers, with a sharp blow of their saber (sable in French), blew the cork and bottle neck off to toast the emperor's victories. Apparently during one of these celebrations Napoleon himself said «Champagne! In victory it is a merit; in defeat a necessity" … and away with the glasses.
From there was born Il Sabrage La particular technique for uncorking champagne bottles with a saber usually used as a ceremonial: in practice the saber is slid along the body of the bottle until it hits the lip of the neck, separating the glass neck cleanly from the collar of the bottle which is fired away with all the cork by the force of the gas contained in the wine. A custom that has spread from France all over the world to solemnize particular events.
Indeed, from time to time there are held sabrage competitions: the record for the most bottles of champagne opened in one minute using this technique is 66 bottles uncorked, was achieved by Ashrita Furman (US) at the Sri Chinmoy Center, Jamaica, New York, USA on August 2, 2015 and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. Ashrita used an "Arab saber" with a 13-inch blade. It broke the previous record of 47 bottles, achieved by Mirko Rainer on September 6, 2014 in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
Sabrage card: the Champagne saber card presented in Milan
But for some time now you can get the same result even if you don't have a saber at hand. In fact, it was presented in Milan “Sciaboliamo”, the 'sabrage card' glamorous, pocket-sized and customizable.
The project, born from a couple of Milanese entrepreneurs, Stefano Giordano e Luca Mangiarotti,
experienced wine lovers, in collaboration with Bisol1542, Prosecco's flagship winery
Superior of Valdobbiadene proposes the "card + chain" kit, cards the size of a credit card, made of steel, with a hole to which a chain is hooked that fits into the cap cage. So yes, but without the use of a weapon and above all in complete safety without fear for those close to you: the "Assisted Saber" allows you to do it even in closed places, always with the necessary safety precautions.
Sciaboliamo sabrage card: card and chain, to toast in complete safety
The project and the cards are made in Italy. Various le versions: black, gold, silver, white, blue, turquoise, mirrored; the same goes for the chains: black, gold, silver, pink, blue.
Orders are arriving not only from Italy but also from Europe such as Brazil to Japan, Korea and California
“We have been personally experimenting with the ancient art of sabrage for ten years, applying it with the
various equipment. So, we decided to combine business with pleasure and create ourselves a
product that was functional, safe and pleasant to use. – Stefano and Luca say – he was born this way
Sciaboliamo, which is literally depopulating. Many companies are already contacting us for the
production of customized cards for their employees, customers, suppliers for special occasions.
We also have the option of creating packaging with a bottle of sparkling wine or champagne, such as
gift for every occasion”.
