Divers have found 30 bottles of 230 old French champagne on the bottom of the Baltic Sea inside an 18th century ship wreck. Wine experts describe the taste from an uncorked bottle as "fabulous". Thought to be the premium brand, Venue Clicquot, the 30 bottles discovered at depth of 180 feet could have been a gift consignment from King Louis XVI to the Russian Czarina, Catherine II (The Great, 1739-1796) .
If confermed, it would be the oldest drinkable champagne in the world. Thanks to the ideal conditions of coldness and darkness inside the sunken hull without water leakage into the bottles, the champagne aged to perfection. If placed on the auction market, each bottle could potentially fetch a price of $68,000 per bottle ! The now oldest known bottle of champagne, is a Perrier-Jouet, vintage 1825.
The champagne was found by seven Swedish divers on July 6th, off the Finnish Aaland Islands, mid-way between Sweden and Finland. Due to bad visibility, the origin and name of the sunken ship could not be verified. The hand blown bottles had no labels, while the corks are marked "Juclar", from its origin in Andorra. According to records, Venue Clicquot was first produced in 1772, then matured for 10 years.
Because the Baltic has had a long history of seafaring activity of commerce and war,and its waters are cold and free of warm water marine wood borers, the sea bottom has become a museum of sunken artifacts of great historical and cultural value.
Montani semper liberi ! Happy modeling to all and every one of you.
Crackers 