Best Champagne Saber: 5 Picks and How to Saber Safely

A champagne saber is a blunt-edged blade that knocks the top off a cold bottle of sparkling wine: it slides along the glass seam and strikes the lip, and the pressure in the bottle does the rest. You don’t need a sharp edge or a big budget; you need a well-chilled bottle, a clear space and the bottle pointed away from everyone. Our overall pick is the Viski Champagne Saber. Below are five sabers from about $115 to $300, compared on what their makers publish, plus how sabering works and the safety steps wine publications and the Champagne trade body give.

Important: Sabering is a party trick with real risk. The Comité Champagne calls it “a bit risky and can even be dangerous.” Cigar Aficionado, Wine Spectator’s sister magazine, says “Eye protection is a must,” and Wine Enthusiast says to keep the bottle pointed away from other people at all times. Do it outdoors, well away from guests, and in our view never after a few drinks.

How we chose

We don’t test products, and we haven’t sabered bottles with these. Every spec below comes from the maker’s or seller’s own product page, opened in October 2026, and is recorded in our research file. We looked for sabers currently in stock on a US store, with a stated length and material. Georg Jensen and Berkel describe their edges as blunt or toothless; the other three makers don’t describe the edge. We left out models that were sold out, had no US price, or whose pages we couldn’t open. Prices are rough list-price bands from those stores, never Amazon prices. Our full method is on how we rate wine and accessories.

Champagne sabers compared

Saber	Length (maker)	Material (maker)	Extras	Care	Price band (Oct 2026)
Viski Champagne Saber	16.5 in overall	Stainless steel, wood	None stated	Hand wash	Around $140
Morgenthaler Champagne Sabre	35 cm (13.8 in)	Vacuum-cast hardened stainless steel	Textured grip	Not stated	Around $115
Georg Jensen Indulgence	17.32 in	Mirror-polished stainless steel	None stated	Not stated	Around $210
Berkel Elegance Wenge	17.7 in overall (12.2 in blade)	Forged stainless steel, wenge wood	Gift box	Hand wash, dry after	Around $280
Craighill Best Champagne Saber	15.2 in	Stainless steel, acetate grips	Cork plinth	Damp cloth, dry	Around $300

The best champagne sabers

Viski Champagne Saber

Who it’s for: most people who want a classic-looking saber for New Year’s Eve, weddings and big birthdays.

Key specs (Viski):

• A curved saber in stainless steel and wood, 16.5 inches long.
• Hand wash only.
• Viski’s page says to keep the saber out of reach of children and always use it as directed.

The trade-off: Viski gives no blade length, weight or warranty, and no stand or case is listed, so you’ll need a drawer or shelf to keep it in.

Viski lists it at $139.99 in October 2026, and Sur La Table had it at $129.95. In our view it is the sensible first saber: a traditional shape at a middle price, from a barware brand that US stores stock. Check the Viski Champagne Saber on Amazon.

Cocktail Kingdom Morgenthaler Champagne Sabre

Who it’s for: a home bartender who wants a solid tool rather than a showpiece.

Key specs (Cocktail Kingdom):

• 35 cm (13.8 inches) long, in vacuum-cast hardened stainless steel.
• Handle with a chevron pattern and textured grip.
• An angled edge that the maker says helps it meet the bottle’s collar precisely.

The trade-off: the page lists almost nothing else: no weight, care instructions, origin or warranty. It is also the shortest saber here.

At about $115 on Cocktail Kingdom’s site in October 2026, it is the least expensive pick. We’d choose it if you mainly want something that does the job and lives in a bar drawer. Check the Morgenthaler Champagne Sabre on Amazon.

Georg Jensen Indulgence Champagne Saber

Who it’s for: a gift, or a host who wants a saber that looks like design rather than a cavalry sword.

Key specs (Georg Jensen):

• Mirror-polished stainless steel, 17.32 inches long and 0.98 inches across; designed in 2013.
• Georg Jensen says the blade is completely blunt: the impact opens the bottle, not sharpness.
• Wine Enthusiast describes it as a one-piece saber designed by Helle Damkjær.

The trade-off: the instructions are more cautious than most. Georg Jensen advises letting a small flow of wine wash loose shards from the neck, checking the first glass, keeping the saber and opened bottles away from children and animals, and goes as far as saying never to drink straight from a sabered bottle.

It was $210 on Georg Jensen’s US site in October 2026. Its all-metal look is the one we’d pick for a modern kitchen or bar cart. Check the Georg Jensen Indulgence saber on Amazon.

Berkel Elegance Wenge Champagne Sabre

Who it’s for: someone who cares about blade specs and wants a traditional wood handle.

Key specs (Berkel):

• 12.2-inch blade, 17.7 inches overall, 15.87 ounces.
• Blade forged in X50CrMoV15 (1.4116) stainless steel, hardened to 59 HRC, with a plain, toothless edge.
• Wenge wood handle; comes in a gift box.
• Wash by hand in hot water and dry it after each wash.

The trade-off: price. It is the second most expensive pick, and Berkel’s US store had its pricier Superior sabre out of stock when we checked.

It was $279 on Berkel’s US site in October 2026. Of the five, it is the only one whose maker publishes the steel grade and hardness, which is why we’d choose it for someone who likes knives. Check the Berkel Elegance champagne sabre on Amazon.

Craighill Best Champagne Saber

Who it’s for: a host who wants the saber on show between parties.

Key specs (Craighill):

• Stainless steel body with tortoise acetate grips; 15.2 by 1.2 by 0.62 inches; 7.6 ounces.
• Rests on a molded cork plinth.
• Designed with André Hueston Mack, according to Craighill.
• Clean with a soft, damp cloth and dry it; no alcohol, solvents or harsh chemicals.

The trade-off: it is the most expensive saber here, lighter than the Berkel (about half its stated weight), and Craighill says it is available in limited quantities. The page doesn’t describe the edge.

It was $298 on Craighill’s site in October 2026. Check the Craighill Best Champagne Saber on Amazon.

How sabering works

Every Champagne bottle is “two halves seamed together,” a source quoted by Wine Enthusiast explains, and the weak point is where the vertical seam meets the lip at the top of the neck. Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny puts the pressure in sparkling wine at roughly 70 to 90 psi, two to three times a car tire; Wine Folly gives about 5 to 7 atmospheres for Champagne. When the blade strikes the lip along the seam, the glass cracks there and the pressure pushes the collar and cork off in one piece.

That is why the edge doesn’t matter. Wine Enthusiast says a Champagne saber “will always have a blunt blade,” because a sharp one only adds to the risk. Dr. Vinny says the back of a chef’s knife, a butter knife or even a spoon can work, and Wine Folly demonstrates it with a spoon. A saber is for ceremony and reach, not for cutting.

The tradition is old. The Comité Champagne says cavalry regiments, especially the hussars of Napoleon’s Guard, celebrated by knocking the cork off with the blunt side of the sabre. Wine Enthusiast adds that nobody knows whether Napoleon himself started it, only that it spread during the Napoleonic Wars.

How to saber a bottle safely

These steps combine what Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado and the Comité Champagne say. Where they differ, we say so.

1. Chill the bottle thoroughly. Every source starts here. The Comité says to chill it well; a beverage director told Wine Enthusiast that the colder the bottle, the easier it is to saber. Our champagne bucket guide covers ice-and-water chilling.
2. Go outside and clear the space. Wine Spectator says to stand outside, away from anyone who could be hit by the cork or glass. Wine Enthusiast says the cork travels at high speed up to 30 feet. Cigar Aficionado says beginners should practice outdoors.
3. Protect yourself. Cigar Aficionado says eye protection is a must and to hold the bottle with a towel over your hand; the Comité suggests a napkin or a glove.
4. Remove the foil and cage. Cigar Aficionado warns to treat an uncaged bottle “with great respect,” because the cork can fly out on its own. Wine Folly suggests moving the cage up to the first lip instead of taking it off until you’re ready.
5. Point the bottle away from everyone. Hold it at an angle: about 45 degrees per Wine Enthusiast, 30 to 45 degrees per Dr. Vinny (thumb in the punt, the hollow in the base). Georg Jensen’s own instructions say about 20 degrees.
6. Find the seam and slide. Rest the blunt edge on the seam, then slide it firmly up the bottle to strike the lip, and follow through. Cigar Aficionado says to bring the back of the blade up at almost 45 degrees to the glass, glide it smoothly and not chop.
7. Check before you pour. Dr. Vinny says the break is usually clean and the pressure carries glass away from the wine, but the new edge of the bottle is sharp. Georg Jensen advises letting a little wine flow out and checking the first glass. Pick up the top and any pieces right away.

Tip: Cigar Aficionado’s advice to get a lesson from an expert first is worth taking. The Comité Champagne notes that it may not work the first time.

Which bottles work

Every source here uses Champagne for its instructions. On Prosecco the sources split: Matthieu Yamoum of New York’s Baccarat Hotel told Wine Enthusiast it will work, while Wine Folly says Prosecco has about 3 atmospheres of pressure and “tends to be a dud.” Yamoum also warned that bottles can have defects and that some Champagne bottle shapes are harder to saber; he once broke a whole Jeroboam, which in Champagne is a 3-liter bottle (see our wine bottle sizes guide). In our view, start with a standard 750 ml bottle of inexpensive bottle-fermented sparkling wine, never a rare or old one.

Not everyone is a fan. A Champagne grower told Wine Enthusiast he never sabers because it wastes wine that took so much time and work to make. If the bottle is special, open it by hand.

What to look for in a champagne saber

• A blunt edge. This is the one rule every source agrees on. Look for “blunt,” “dull” or “toothless” on the product page, as Georg Jensen and Berkel state.
• Length and weight. The picks here run from 13.8 to 17.7 inches. We’d favor a longer blade for the extra distance between your hand and the bottle top. Weights, where makers give them, run from 7.6 ounces (Craighill) to just under a pound (Berkel); a heavier saber carries more momentum, though none of the sources say you need one.
• Grip. Our view: a textured or wooden handle should be easier to hold steady than polished metal, especially with cold, wet hands.
• Care. All the makers that give care instructions say hand wash or wipe clean. None says dishwasher safe.
• Storage. A stand, plinth or box keeps the saber out of a crowded drawer and, as Viski and Georg Jensen both stress, out of children’s reach.

If you want the drama without a blade, a well-chilled bottle opened slowly by hand is safer and wastes nothing. And if a saber is a gift, pair it with glasses: our wine gift set guide has ideas.

More guides for sparkling wine

• Best champagne bucket: single-bottle buckets and party tubs, and how long to chill.
• Mimosa: the classic brunch drink with sparkling wine and orange juice.
• Wine bottle sizes: from splits to Nebuchadnezzars, in liters and glasses.
• Wine accessories: all our gear guides.