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| Baltic divers find what they claim is world's oldest champagne |
| 2010-07-20 |
| Divers have discovered what is thought to be the world's oldest drinkable champagne, fishing a bottle of the centuries-old bubbly from a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea. Dive instructor Christian Ekstrom says the champagne, believed to be from the 1780's, "tasted fantastic." Ekstrom said Saturday he's "98 percent sure" of the champagne's age, having conferred with experts. I'm not, if it was remotely drinkable. Champagne dies young. By the time it's ten years old it's undrinkable. About 30 bottles are believed to remain in the wreckage. Swedish wine expert Carl-Jan Granqvist says each bottle could bring as much as euro50,000 if the corks are intact and the age and authenticity can be proven. Samples have been sent to champagne laboratories in France for testing. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 I read about a similar discovery in 2000 while doing a project for an arhcaeology class. The divers brought up seveal hundred bottles of very old champaign (18th century I think) and got rich. They made it available at a tasting contest, and also sold it for thousands of $ per bottle. They had to attach heavy duty wire cages to the tops of the bottles to keep the corks from blowing out due to the pressure changes when they brought the bottles up. |
| Posted by: Keenster 2010-07-20 08:47 |
| #2 How deep was the wreck? Temperature and light exposure impact the rate at which volatile flavour chemicals break down, which is a major factor in the change in drinkability; I assume pressure also has an impact. Serious oenophiles may conclude they ought to move their wine collections to deep ocean locations, once aged to perfection. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-07-20 07:35 |
| #1 I'm not, if it was remotely drinkable. Champagne dies young. By the time it's ten years old it's undrinkable. Does it matter if the bottle was stored upside down at the bottom of the Baltic? That way the cork stays wet, you see. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-07-20 01:43 |