While searching for something else, I seem to have found the answer! This indecent wastage was not originated in Europe, but was perpetrated by those troublesome ex-colonials to the South of us here (the US).
Read all about it here: https://jalopnik.com/5830352/this-is-th ... ing-a-race
Why, oh why couldn't he have chosen beer instead....
To be absolutely fair, it was a monkey see, monkey do sort of thing - see
http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/wh ... -the-crowd
No shame to Jo Siffert as the spillage was inadvertent. The blame still lies with Gurney!
Interesting that they used to use Moet and switched to Mumm. And now they use jeroboams!
I suppose we should be grateful there was never any connection with the similarly odd practice of sabering Champagne. If they'd started that the Americans would no doubt have improved upon edged weapons by now and who knows what calibre the weapon of choice to unleash the fizz might be by now.
