February 15th, 2012 
Constance 
Valentine’s night was something to be celebrated. Instead of going out this year, my boyfriend and opted to stay in and we cooked up a feast of steamed oysters, lobster tails, Barramundi (an Australian seabass,) grilled asparagus, and sweet potatoes.We kicked off the evening with a bottle of 2011 Artner Gruener Veltliner and paired dinner with a couple of bottles of Sauvignon Blanc (2010 MontGras Reserva and 2011 Emiliana Novas) I had taken home from a Chilean wine tasting the day before.
Naturally, we were feeling happy with the food and, most importantly, each other’s company. One thing led to another and things started to get wild. Before I knew it, I was standing over my kitchen sink with carving knife in my right hand and an undressed bottle of sparkling wine in the other.
Now, to premise this story, I’ve conducted heavy research on how to saber a bottle of Champagn
e/sparkling wine. I’ve written articles about it for other blogs, and have watched several of my wine-business colleagues do the same…but, I’ve never tried it myself.
Here are the basic steps:
1. Chill the bottle in the freezer or on ice for a couple of hours to ensure it is plenty cold
Peel all of the foil and paper off of the bottle.
2. Undo the cage.
3. Locate the seam of the bottle.
4. Slide the saber (or a large kitchen knife you don’t care much about) along the seam at full force making sure to keep contact the entire time. Once you hit the neck of the bottle it should pop off. If it does not, try again…and again…. and again until it does.
As you may have guessed, it d
idn’t work for me on the first time, but my boyfriend’s doubts made me that much more determined.
Word of caution: once popped, the pressure built up in the bottle will release wine from the bottle (I have to wash my kitchen floor later) AND the top will likely go flying (my poor boyfriend almost lost an eye.) However, it is a great party trick so long as everyone signs a waiver first.
Naturally, there was cause for celebration. For dessert, we paired Milano cookies and dried figs with Klein Constancia Vin de Constance 2006 (after all, the wine and I share a name) from South Africa. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful evening.
How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?
**Please note: I, in no way, condone playing with sharp knives or sabers after consuming several glasses of wine. Also, note that the majority of each of these bottles had been consumer prior to Tuesday so we did not consume 2 bottles of wine each…..)
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Good to see you guys celebrated the Valentine’s Day enjoyably!! I really admire you for sharing helpful steps and I think such steps will be beneficial for next season. Cheers