On Friday 23 October, Susan Le Roux, better known as The Champagne Goddess, is taking over a room at Bonnibel in Bondi Junction for International Champagne Day. Expect Piper-Heidsieck in the glasses, a sabre on the table and, from 6pm until 9pm, a steady line of guests trying to take the top off a bottle in one clean swing while their friends hold up scorecards.
You can come to watch. You can also be the one holding the sabre.
What sabrage actually is
Sabrage means opening a bottle of Champagne by sliding the back of a sabre along the seam of the bottle until it hits the lip at the neck. The pressure inside the bottle, around five to six atmospheres, does the rest. The cork and a ring of glass fly off together and leave a clean break. The tradition is usually traced back to Napoleon’s cavalry officers, and Susan covers that history on the night, along with the science of why the glass breaks where it does and the safety briefing, which matters quite a lot once a blade and a pressurised bottle are in the same room.
Three ways to join
Champagne Social, AUD 50
This is the ticket for watching and judging. You get a glass of Piper-Heidsieck on arrival, a place in the dedicated event space, the live sabrage sessions throughout the evening and Susan’s stories about Champagne. Everyone also receives an official Sabrage Scorecard, which becomes the best part of the night if a friend has booked the sabre. Bonnibel is preparing a canapé menu for the evening, and food and extra drinks are paid for separately at the bar.
Use the code AMIE at checkout for AUD 10 off the Champagne Social ticket.
The Art of Sabrage, AUD 190
This one puts the sabre in your hand. You choose a session when you book, and Susan teaches the technique and safety to the whole group before working with each person one on one to fix their stance and swing. Then you open your own bottle of Piper-Heidsieck in front of a panel of your friends, who score you on style, science, aplomb, follow-through and flourish. The science score checks whether you were listening. Once the bottle is open, it is yours to share, and the price also covers event entry and a welcome glass.
No experience is needed. Places are limited, each bottle is for one person, and the sabrage sessions run in the earlier part of the evening. Find Susan five minutes before your session starts.
One Sabreur and three Social tickets, AUD 290
If you are bringing your own judging panel anyway, this is the ticket to book. It covers one Art of Sabrage place plus three Champagne Social tickets for your friends, which saves AUD 50 compared with buying them separately. Four people around one freshly sabred bottle also happens to be about right for the glasses it pours.
Who is The Champagne Goddess
Susan Le Roux is a WSET Level III Champagne educator who spent nine years working on private superyachts in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and South Pacific before moving into luxury hotels, events and travel. She now leads Champagne trips to Paris and the Champagne region, runs sparkling wine experiences in Tasmania and the Adelaide Hills, and is writing a book about the women who shaped Champagne. Her events lean heavily on stories, especially the people and odd characters behind the bottles. You can follow her on Instagram at @thechampagnegoddess.
If the evening gets you hooked, her six-week Specialist Champagne Course starts at Bonnibel on Thursday 29 October. She describes it as a Champagne course crossed with a book club. Expressions of interest close a few days after International Champagne Day.
Can’t make it on the 23rd?
Sabrage is not a one-night thing in Sydney. Champagne Bar at Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour will sabre a bottle at your table, and our guide to where to drink Champagne in Sydney covers the rest of the city’s best places to order a bottle.
Before you book
- When: Friday 23 October 2026, 6pm to 9pm AEDT
- Where: Bonnibel at lyf Bondi Junction, Unit 5/11 Hollywood Ave, Bondi Junction NSW 2022
- Tickets: Champagne Social AUD 50, The Art of Sabrage AUD 190, One Sabreur and three Social tickets AUD 290
- Discount: code AMIE for AUD 10 off Champagne Social
- Age: 18+
- Refunds: up to two days before the event
- Tickets: Book on Humanitix
The official event wraps up at 9pm, but you are welcome to stay on at Bonnibel afterwards. If someone at your table has just opened a bottle with a sword, you probably will.