Champagne has been associated with luxury, special occasions, and rites of passage since the days of French royalty when kings were anointed with bubbly.
Where did this festive libation get its name?
Champagne is a sparkling wine made from three types of grapes: Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier, and it is created exclusively in the Champagne region of France. Although sparkling wines are produced throughout the world, most countries restrict the use of the word “Champagne” to wines that are made in the Champagne region.
Wine has been made in this region since before medieval times. Today there are more than a hundred Champagne houses, in addition to almost 20,000 smaller vignerons, or vine-growing producers.
Supposedly, the first Champagne in France was a happy accident. The pressure that was created in the bottle from the fermentation caused the bottle to explode. This led to the nickname “le vin du diable,” or “the devil’s wine.” (Not to be confused with devil’s food or devil’s milk.)
If you’re looking to truly impress guests this New Year’s Eve, get out your sword. At ceremonial occasions, a technique called “sabrage” is used to open a Champagne bottle. It involves sliding a saber along the neck of the bottle and breaking the glass.
Let’s forget about the sword…don’t want bloody remembrances of the New Year.
Lol. I know a surf shop chain that sells swords called “Reef”. That’s about the only place I know, and you’ll only find one if you live on the coast. gl.
It’s my favorite drink too! I have beheaded many bottles in many special occasion and some times, I had to strain the champagne to get rid of the glass pieces…It is still worth the pain and BRUT is my all time favorite.I think it was Napoleon who started the “sabrage” after his victorious battle.
Glad I don’t drink! Hey, the good thing is, it’s 420 some where!
Lame article. a happy accident!!! as if rats come from the void spontaneously popping up in your dirty laundry. The fact that the bottle exploded added bubbles to the wine? lame!
I shall not quote her as I do not have the exact quote, Marie Antoinette once was to say that she liked champagne because the more you sip, the prettier everything becomes. Incidentally she did not say “give them cake”. A bad wrap.
hi am nancy
Buy California wines…we need it!
[...] new — swing the ceremonial sword at midnight – “sabrage” — drink more Champagne to boot — Celebrate — Celebrate — Dance to the music”– ifn you [...]
Please don’t judge me, but what are RPG dweebs?
argos, under games and toys
A. G. Russell’s sells a sword specially produced for opening wine. Look them up on the net, or at Russell’s for Men. (Sorry, Ladies, you will have to have your man look it up. 
you might try a badass sword shop
Champagne is awesome, it is such an amazing invention!
Brilliant, extremely clever idea!
Well they say the best things are created by accident! I don’t know who said that exactly but its quite true!
le vin du diable, sei magnifique!
Chardonnay by itself is already superb!!!! Adding two other kinds of liquer makes it extraordinary!!!!
Well..I think I seem like I had too much champagne,
so I’m going to just stop here and drink more!
Try the Renaissance festival! you can also pick yourself up a old hag while your there too!
vin du diable? hey, easy. that’s our namesake.
that is so cool!
You just made my day, because I’m sorry to say that I’m an RPG dweeb.
WoW!
Bad idea to use a sword to open the bottle, especially if you have never done it before. What you are doing is breaking the neck of a glass bottle, and then deciding to drink from the broken bottle.
Awesome entry! I’d love to see le sabrage in action.
Your local comic book store and or my caliginous basement
I’ve heard that champagne derives from sham pain, a form of malingering, e.g., the headache excuse.
Intresting…
@Rick: because insulting someone is a good way to ask for help.
on line arf
You can by giving adamnite to the dwarf blacksmith
Actually, I’ve seen chefs do sabrage to a bottle of Champagne with a big knife. It works. Forget the sword, and I’d suggest giving the RPG thing a try. Then you would know where to get a sword. Try the local pawn shop.
Give Adamnite to a dwarf blacksmith.
Ummm, without extensive practice and know how, it’s pretty easy to kill your hand by opening a bottle with a sword. Hit the bottle the wrong way and the glass can shatter.
Please don’t do this, especially when drunk.
Ha! Happy New Year, and I can NOT wait to get my sword. Let have a blast, and a blast-ed bottle!
wow! how very interseting…
Rick – start in Spain or Syria if you want a serious sword. The only decent ones have Damascus blades. If you’re in Asia, try Japan. A real Samarai sword would make short work of glass (the fancy ones are for show and barely open a letter). I’d test the theory with one of my husband’s Shun knives, but he’d kill me.
Not too credible, really: ‘Devil’s wine probably refers to “new wine” like Jesus drank, still busy fermenting…
just don’t take out someone’s eye with that move Mr. Smooth…LOL
I suggest the city of Meskia, gather a party, and go travel into the Tower of Druaga. You’re guaranteed to find some nice weaponry there.
Most malls will have a sword store in it. Also try on-line: CSA, CAS-Iberia, Renstore.com, bythesword.com, Hanwei, or Paul Chen.
I have two bottles of 1996 Dom Perignon MD for sale, if any one desires?
cost $600 ea. a bargain!
ebay…
its the devil’s wine becuase the is the one that wanted too be of a higher class and you are still wineing about now!!!!!!!!!!!lol
It’s nicknames were The devil’s wine, devil’s food or devil’s milk. Interesting. Anyway I don’t like drinking Champagne.
Search the internet for “smith” or “blacksmith” and “sword,” or check out: http://www.angelsword.com/
At your local mall’s weapons shop, your local chain comic book store, or, of course, at your local weaponsmith’s for a measly 15 gold pieces, D’uh!
To Rick: be careful when saboring, since the bottle might explode in your hand when not hit correctly with the sword. I suggest wearing a golf. Glove for the first couple of times, until you get a feel for it.
what r u teaching my kids?
I think I’ll stick to a very long knife. Not really a fan of sabers.
Hey, “RPG Dweebs” don’t go around buying swords, that is a stereotype. Get your facts straight captain assumption.
Oh so you haven’t one already in your posession, Rick?
Here’s a hint…rhymes with your name…
You most likely carry it with you all the time.
And since you have stepped to the RPG Dweebs…
I will risk speaking on behalf of my fellow dweebs.
“Rick has gone on record that A) He does not have a
“badass” sword and B) that he desperately seeks one.
This is truly the most poetic coming out story I have ever heard. Congratulations Rick! I humbly wish you Godspeed in finding a badass sword to pop your bubbly and anything else that needs popping. CHEERS!
And Happy New Year, Dear.
All my best,
Heather
Oh so you haven’t one already in your possession, Rick?
Here’s a hint…rhymes with your name…
You most likely carry it with you all the time.
And since you have stepped to the RPG Dweebs…
I will risk speaking on behalf of my fellow dweebs.
“Rick has gone on record that A) He does not have a
“badass” sword and B) that he desperately seeks one.
This is truly the most poetic coming out story I have ever heard. Congratulations Rick! I humbly wish you Godspeed in finding a badass sword to pop your bubbly and anything else that needs popping in 2011. CHEERS! And Happy New Year, Dear.
All my best,
Heather
http://www.trueswords.com is the place you want to go, Rick. They’ve got it all!
Hm.. Dweeb? I’d be pretty embarrassed to be caught using that word.
You might want to talk to a LARPing fanatic before you talk to the RPG guys
To make out of this article along with the word sword is a concoction of various ingrediens:pressure,Dweeds,Champagne, the dark chocolate cake,the word of God.
Cameron diaz has the skills for that sabrage thing
No Clue. Mexico perhaps?
LOL at that comment, are you serious with a sword?
Swords.com, of course!
this is pretty interesting now i want me some Champagne even thought im only 13 cant i still drink it i had some last night early this morning it was super good
Hi Rick, you can find yourself a “badass” sword from several companies specialising in fantasy weapons, including http://www.epicweapons.com/ (where I got my Frostmourne) and http://www.trueswords.com/. For those that are keen on opening a bottle with a blade but don’t have a full length sword, find a thin but sharp knife and you can use it as a corkscrew. Stick it into the cork at an angle and twist it out by turning the knife, but not so it bends the blade. I’m looking forward to getting started on some sabrage myself!
Start with a goole search for local shops, if that fails, further searches for online shops will give lots of restyle. Keep in mind that there may be hefty shipping charges, especially if your order has to cross provincial/state/national borders.
people should not write long blogs
@David: RPG stands for Role Playing Game. Rick was calling the people who play them dweebs in an attempt to insult them.
@Cyberquill: There’s also a Fall Out Boy song called “Champagne for my Real Friends, Real Pain for my Sham Friends.” I don’t think much of Fall Out Boy’s music, but I like that title.
The way my cousin says champagne is to funny.
@Rick, well why don’t you just mine some runite ore and smith one yourself.
Lame & Stupid article, with lamer comments. All these comments related to where the jerk can buy a sword?!!!! One word jerkoff; google
Wow i love the song!!!!!!!!! you got me popin champagne im at it again caught up in the moment but not in the right way im falling in between tearinf up at the seanse and they say it dont hurt one bit…..so follow me down, yeah follow me down and take it all the way anyway u want me!
(.)Y(.)
champagne for my real friends…and real pain for my sham friends.
Hi Nancy
Sweet. Can’t wait to buy my Sword and get started!
Hey RPG Dweebs, where can I buy a badass sword?