Scientists Locate Champagne Bottles in Century-Old Shipwreck

It’s always interesting when divers make their way to a shipwreck, whether it’s one that’s been underwater for decades or centuries. Sometimes that discovery can yield even more fascinating artifacts — and sometimes those artifacts take the form of, well, booze. The latest addition to the crossroads of nautical history and alcoholic history was recently located in waters off the coast of Sweden — and booze wasn’t the only preserved beverage found on board.

The team of divers responsible for their discovery recently recounted their experience for the diving conference Baltictech. The divers describe the shipwreck as being located “dozens of miles south of Sweden, outside Polish territorial and economic waters.” In their description of their discovery, they note that two members of their team embarked on what they’d believed would be a quick dive — one that went much longer than expected when they came upon the ship.

“We encountered a 19th century sailing ship in very good condition, loaded to the sides with champagne, wine, mineral water and porcelaine. There was so much of it that it was difficult for us to judge the quantities,” the divers reported. “We certainly saw more than 100 bottles of champagne and baskets of mineral water in clay bottles.”

As they explained, it was the mineral water — made sometime between 1850 and 1867 — that provided some critical context for what the vessel was doing there. In the 19th century, mineral water was largely used for medicinal purposes by royalty. This provided the diving team with a few leads on how best to proceed.

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That whiskey has been aging for almost two centuries

No action has been taken to see what condition the champagne is in after its long stint underwater, but it may be better-preserved than one might expect. As Hannah Staab pointed out at VinePair, other bottles found under similar conditions have weathered those conditions well — so this potentially stash of champagne may well be suitable for consumption more than a century after its descent.

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