The wine buff: The best bubbles to buy this Valentine's weekend

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Corinna Hardgrave

If you're celebrating Valentine's Day with a bottle of Champagne, do not be tempted to open it by sabrage. This is the art of uncorking a bottle of Champagne using a sword or a heavy knife. If you want to see how it's done, order a bottle at the Shelbourne, where sommelier Nisea Doddy has been trained in the art of sabrage and has been inducted into the Confrèrie du Sabre d'Or.