30 bottles of champagne over 200 years old were found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, between Sweden and Finland, in a wreck.
The announcement created a surprise among champagne lovers and bubble professionals. It is not uncommon for discoveries of old precious relics and steeped in history, but here it is about thirty bottles of champagne that were discovered in a wreck in the open sea.
These bottles are said to date from 1780, although the year is not yet precisely identified. Some specialists would agree that these bottles are still drinkable, and especially because the happy divers of this discovery opened one to celebrate the event.
In the oldest discoveries of alcohol bottles, these champagne bottles would not be the oldest champagne bottles in the world, but they are unique in that they are arguably the oldest bottles of champagne still drinkable to this day. The significance of this discovery is therefore unquestionably great news.
According to the chief scuba diver, the bottles date to a period close to the 1780s, as they were part of a ship's cargo bound for Russia.
No damage observed, the good condition of the bottles would be astounding, because the conservation was almost perfect, with the darkness, the temperature and the consistency of the conservation criteria for a champagne.
To celebrate the event, divers rushed to sample a copy of these bottles. The result is, they say, very convincing: “We didn't know it was champagne; we thought it was wine or something like that. In short, it was fantastic. It was very sweet champagne, with an aroma of tobacco and oak, ”explained one of the divers.
As of today, the find has been sifted through to precisely date the age of this elixir. The dating criteria are made among other things by the shape of the champagne bottle, which seems to be similar to those of the end of the 18th century.
“We are in contact with the Maison de Champagne Moët & Chandon and they are 98% sure that it is Veuve Clicquot champagne,” explains the head of the diving team. Because “There is an anchor on the cap, and they tell me that they are the only ones who have used this emblem”.
“Veuve Clicquot started its production in 1772, and then the first vintages were matured for ten years, so it can't be before 1782. And it can't be after 1788-89 with the French Revolution which brought production to a standstill. ”.
The origin of this shipment might make one dream, but the very serious clue is that it would be a delivery from King Louis XVI to the Russian Imperial Court. The manufacturer’s records would indeed reveal a trace of a famous shipment that never reached its destination. In the event of confirmation of the identification leads for these bottles of champagne (Maison Clicquot will soon announce the results of the examinations), these bottles are estimated at least at € 50,000 per Unit! In the meantime, dreaming of having the honor of drinking champagne at this price, I think I will turn to cheap champagne ! Otherwise, I suggest that we transfer the money from the sale of the bottles to the preservation of the environment and Nature in the Champagne region. And especially that the works of the city center of Reims are finished quickly !