How to Saber Champagne with Carole Mac & Sophie Gonet

How to Saber Champagne with Carole Mac & Sophie Gonet 540 540 Wine4Food

To saber, or not to saber… Wait, is that even a question? Of course we’re sabering! Today on Somm Tips, we head to Champagne, France to uncover the celebratory secrets of sabering sparkling with seventh generation winemaker Sophie Gonet.

Sophie is the winemaker at Michel Gonet, one of our absolute favorite Champagne houses, along with her brothers. We headed to Sophie’s vineyards and production site to explore her process for producing beautiful Champagne, and while we were there, we just had to have a sabering lesson. And what better way to do that than with a saber that is actually from the Napoleonic Wars? Rumor has it that sabering was invented by Napoleon, so this bit of history isn’t just for cool-factor: it is the most authentic way of blasting off the top off a bottle of Champagne with a sword.

Sabering a bottle of Champagne is very fun, but please don’t do this casually. While we were filming, at least one bottle popped open of its own accord due to the heat, and we have seen way too many sabering failures on YouTube (and in real life) not to warn you about glass, projectiles, and possibility of cutting one self with sharp objects. Remember folks, it’s not about how you open a bottle, but what bottle you open. And when you’re opening Champagne, there’s no reason to gild the lily; you’re about to drink Champagne!

A big thank you to Sophie for teaching us how to saber Champagne, and for hosting us at her stunning vineyards and home. You can look forward to more Sophie on our upcoming Follow that Somm episode featuring her incredible Champagne-paired dinner, as well as her Somm Tips episode on the terroir of Champagne. As always, if you liked this video, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channelLike us on Facebook, and Follow us on Instagram.

Happy New Year from all of us at Wine4Food!

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