Don’t Wait for New Years

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Don’t Wait for New Years Posted On 22 October 2021

Raise a Glass this Friday to celebrate International Champagne Day

Champagne may be French but the idea behind Global Champagne Day (this year to be celebrated on the 22^{nd of} October) began in America in 2009 – started by an American blogger, Chris Oggenfuss, who wanted to honour the wine of kings. Champagne is a sparkling wine, originating from France. In the EU, it is illegal to call any sparkling wine Champagne if it doesn’t come from the Champagne region of France.

Fun fact: did you know champagne used to be called the ‘Devil’s Wine’? Early champagne manufacturers came down to their cellars to find some corks had blown out of the bottles prematurely. They decided this must have been the work of evil spiritual beings. This incident caused many champagne-makers to wear iron helmets to prevent injury.

If injury doesn’t scare you, why not learn to sabre a bottle to celebrate Global Champagne Day? Is there anything more impressive than slicing open a bottle with a dangerous looking sabre mid-party?

Here is what you need to do to master the art:

Ensure the champagne is chilled to around 6 degrees Celsius.
Don’t shake it up.
Strip all the foil off the neck so the blade doesn’t get caught.
Remove the wire cage but keep your thumb over the cork.
Find the 2 seams running the length of the bottle on either side. Hitting the crease at the top of the bottle is where you should aim for a nice clean cut.
Point the bottle way from people and animals.
Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle.
Do a few test runs to ensure you will hit the bottle at the lip of the crease.
You don’t need much force, keep your movement smooth and controlled.
Slice and amaze your guests! Let a little liquid run out to make sure no tiny shards of glass have entered the bottle.

If becoming a sabre master isn’t quite your flute of fizz, fear not, you too can be part of the day: take a moment to celebrate the small things. Join a planned event in a restaurant, enjoy a champagne food and wine pairing with close friends or family members or simply raise a toast with the one you love. Share your posts on the socials using the #ChampagneDay