Do people really open wine bottles with an army sword?
In Hannibal, season 3, ep 1, Antipasto,
There is a scene where waiters open sealed wine bottles with an army sword by cutting them open.
Do people really do this in real life? I am not even sure this practice is safe, as it is possible for people to drink broken glasses from their wine.
Best Answer
Is it real?
Yes, it is. It's called Sabrage
Sabrage is a technique for opening a champagne bottle with a saber, used for ceremonial occasions. The wielder slides the saber along the body of the bottle to break the top of the neck away, leaving the neck of the bottle open and ready to pour. The force of the blunt side of the blade hitting the lip breaks the glass to separate the collar from the neck of the bottle. One does not use the sharp side of the blade. The cork and collar remain together after separating from the neck.
Is it safe?
Pretty much.
A champagne sword (sabre à champagne) is an instrument specially made for sabrage. Some swords have short blades, around 30 centimetres (12 in) long[5] and resemble large knives, although others have longer blades. The edges of the blade used should be blunt—a sharpened edge is unnecessary because in sabrage it is the impact that is important. If using a sword with a sharp blade then the flat blunt back of the blade is used. A champagne bottle can be opened with a spoon using the same method.
The bottle neck is held at an angle of approximately 20 degrees and the sword is cast down on it. The experienced sommelier can open the bottle with little loss of champagne. However, it is advised to allow a small flow in order to wash away any loose shards of glass that may be adhering to the neck. The first glass poured should also be checked for small glass shards
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Can you open a bottle of wine with a sword?
Sabrage /s\u0259\u02c8br\u0251\u02d0\u0292/ is a technique for opening a champagne bottle with a saber, used for ceremonial occasions. The wielder slides the saber along the body seam of the bottle to the lip to break the top of the neck away, leaving the neck of the bottle open and ready to pour.Why do people sabre wine?
Sabers are used to remove the cork from a bottle by cutting the neck of the bottle in such a way that the mouth of the bottle goes off with it. This stunt is not performed with the blunt side of the saber, as is commonly believed. Sabers are swung at such high pressures that they break through bottlenecks.Can you saber still wine?
Thankfully, the joy of sabering a bottle of sparkling wine is not just for French military anymore. In fact, you don't even need a sabre; all you need is a butcher's knife, plus it's actually much easier to do than you might think.Why do people open bottles with knives?
So, why can you cut off the top of a glass bottle using a dull knife? It has to do with the pressure. Champagne is very bubbly and full of carbon dioxide, which creates a lot of pressure inside the bottle and on the cork. In medieval days, many bottles of champagne would explode in wine cellars due to the pressure.Gordon Ramsay Opens Champagne With A Sword | The F Word
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Luciann Photography, mentatdgt, Timur Saglambilek, Wendy Wei