World's oldest champagne survives shipwreck

[Wil]

Hard to believe it survived so long...

http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/l...1118-17y70.html

[adic88]

Wow, that's so cool!

[thechenman]

That is amazing...I'd like to know what the beer ended up tasting like as well.

[Montaigut]

Definitely not an expert on champagne but sometimes an old bottle of champagne is just an old bottle of champagne to quote SF. Am I oversensitive to hype or what...

[Ken Gargett]

about a decade ago, they found some 1907 heidsieck at the bottom of the baltic - about 2000 bottles from memory. bizarre story. boat with it was smuggling it and other stuff to russia and shot down by a u-boat. apparently the commander of the u-boat was in disgrace as he was the only ever u boat commander to sink another u boat - by mistake. and it was commanded by his best mate. so sent to the baltic, apparently the german equivalent of coventry.

either the boat or the u-boat was mistaken for an island. comedy of errors.

i got to try two of the bottles. one was a lovely old mature aged champagne. the other truly extraordinary. foamed up and out of the bottle like it was made yesterday. truly amazing.

it is the perfect place to store champagne. they settle in the silt so no movement and complete darkness. temperature sits around 2 celcius and does not vary. and at that depth, apparently very little salt at that depth so no corrosion.

they originally sold for around $5000 a bottle. who knows what they'd be now.

[adic88]

about a decade ago, they found some 1907 heidsieck at the bottom of the baltic - about 2000 bottles from memory. bizarre story. boat with it was smuggling it and other stuff to russia and shot down by a u-boat. apparently the commander of the u-boat was in disgrace as he was the only ever u boat commander to sink another u boat - by mistake. and it was commanded by his best mate. so sent to the baltic, apparently the german equivalent of coventry.

either the boat or the u-boat was mistaken for an island. comedy of errors.

i got to try two of the bottles. one was a lovely old mature aged champagne. the other truly extraordinary. foamed up and out of the bottle like it was made yesterday. truly amazing.

it is the perfect place to store champagne. they settle in the silt so no movement and complete darkness. temperature sits around 2 celcius and does not vary. and at that depth, apparently very little salt at that depth so no corrosion.

they originally sold for around $5000 a bottle. who knows what they'd be now.

good cigars, good champagne... and shorts!

damn you lead the good life, ken!