Master of Ceremonies Luis Torres in sabred victory mode. (JS Fletcher photo)
By J.S. Fletcher and Kathy Newbern © 2009
The atmosphere at Friday's Welcome Ceremony for the Pinehurst Food and Wine Festival was certainly festive. After the first day of seminars like Food & Wine 101 which we wrote about earlier, and the Meet and Greet Champagne Reception, which featured a bit of the Biltmore bubbly sparkling wine, all the attendees were eagerly gathered on the newly renovated Carolina Hall & Terrace.
A lavish selection of epicurean morsels had been prepared by chefs Adam Axman, Patrick Cowden and John Tharp. Crab cakes, tuna, scallops, shrimp, lamb, grilled cheese sandwiches with truffle oil, and beef brisket were among the selections, and vintners from around the globe were pouring samples of their wares.
Leading the bill, however, was Master of Ceremonies Luis Torres from the Academy of Wine, who would execute an age-old tradition among wine makers and wine drinkers: the saber ceremony.
Torres, holding a magnum of champagne in one hand and a saber in the other, performed the feat flawlessly, sliding the saber's blade along the neck of the bottle to pop off the top just as Napoleon's soldiers had reportedly done centuries before, which popularized the process. (View the sequence of photos in the slide show below).
It seems the French army calvary under Napoleon, the Hussar, would open bottles of champagne when they visited aristocrat properties. The saber was their weapon of choice, and it proved perfect to dramatically open a champagne bottle. In celebration of their victories all across Europe, the cavalry would open the champagne with their sabers. Napoleon is known to have said: "Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it."
Our situation here at Pinehurst is certainly one of victory, as the Food and Wine Festival is winning favor among all its guests.
The festivities continue until Monday, and we'll post along the way. You can read our earlier posts starting here: Can you say Kobe beef-sliders? Welcome to Pinehurst's food and wine festival.
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International Travel Examiner J.S. Fletcher and spouse, Kathy M. Newbern, report on luxury destinations, spas and cruising around the globe. They are award-winning members of the Society of American Travel Writers and operate their personalized romance novel business.
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