To apply for membership of the Confrérie du Sabre d’Or, fill in this form:
If you would like to learn more about membership first, read on. And if your questions aren’t answered, please feel free to get in touch with us!
Why join?
There are all sorts of reasons why you might want to join us. Here are three of the top ones, to whet your appetite:
People
We are proud to welcome members from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, of all genders and of legal drinking age, from across the British Isles. Our community is friendly and welcoming, and new members can expect a warm reception—often accompanied by properly chilled Champagne.
Events: early access and discounts
We host a wide variety of events, from casual drinks receptions and Champagne tastings up to black-tie banquets in exclusive private members’ Clubs and Livery Halls. We organise annual trips to Champagne and Burgundy, to give members the opportunity to visit vineyards, meet producers and growers, and learn more about wine production.
What’s more, our Caveaux organise their own sabrage-themed receptions and dinners, including a Chinese New Year banquet in London, spring and summer dinner-dances in a family-owned restaurant in a beautiful canalside village in Northamptonshire, and a tasting menu in a hotel in the Ribble Valley with a Michelin-Starred chef.
While many of our events are open to non-members, advance notice is given to members first. Places at our smaller gatherings are limited and may be filled during this members’ pre-sale period, making membership the most reliable way to reduce the risk of missing out. In addition, members benefit from preferential pricing on tickets to our largest events, meaning that an annual subscription can often be offset simply by attending more of what we offer.
Glory
The first time you perform sabrage at one of our events, you become a Novice Sabreur (or Sabreuse); you are presented with certificates, a badge with our emblem (a bottle in front of crossed swords), and the cork from your bottle, safely encased in a velvet pouch. This is followed by the ceremony of Intronisation (in French), during which you are formally welcomed as a Novice and ceremonially “knighted” with the sabre you have just used. From that moment, you may rightly count yourself among those who have mastered one of Champagne’s most theatrical traditions and enjoy sharing the story of opening a bottle with a sabre.
Types of membership
Performing your Novice Sabrage opens the door to membership of the Confrérie du Sabre d’Or, but does not confer membership in its own right—in fact, you can apply for membership whether you have performed your Novice Sabrage or not. There are two types of membership: Commissioned Member and Non-Commissioned Member.
Commissioned Members get larger discounts on events, earlier access to tickets and other promotional offers (such as limited-edition apparel), and the right to wear regalia, progress through the Confrérie’s ranks, and vote at our Annual General Meeting.
The joining fee for either type of membership is £45, and it is not charged again if a Non-Commissioned Member becomes a Commissioned Member.
Commissioned Membership
Commissioned Members are full members of the Confrérie du Sabre d’Or, and pay an annual subscription of £80. There is also a one-off promotion fee (to cover the cost of regalia and diplomata) of £185.
Becoming a Commissioned Member starts your journey through the Club’s ranks, each of which has its own regalia and diplomata, and promotion to each of which is marked in our time-honoured way: by opening progressively larger bottles of Champagne by sabrage!
Non-Commissioned Membership
Non-Commissioned Members are associate members, and pay an annual subscription of £55. They are added to our mailing list and also receive discounts at events, but the discounts are not as large as for Commissioned Members, and they can only purchase tickets after the Commissioned Members’ pre-sale (but still before non-members).
How to join
If this sounds like the sort of thing you might enjoy, fill in our application form here: