Excellent champagne found at the bottom of the sea

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Divers near the Åland Islands have uncovered 30 corked bottles of champagne, believed to date back to the 1780s, potentially a gift from Louis XVI to the Russian czar that never reached its destination. The champagne reportedly has a fantastic taste, described as very sweet with hints of tobacco and oak. Each bottle is valued at approximately $70,000. The discussion raises questions about the preservation of the champagne, particularly how saltwater did not seep into the bottles, and whether they were wax sealed at the time. There are also inquiries about the salvage rights concerning the find, and the implications for the divers, especially regarding the costs associated with the opened bottle. The conversation touches on the pressure dynamics of champagne bottles at depth, suggesting that the champagne may have retained its fizz and quality.
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Divers outside the Finnish island group Åland have discovered a cache of 30 corked bottles of champagne; their likely date is the 1780s, when such a gift from Louis XVI to the russian czar was sent, but never arrived.

As for the taste?
""It tasted fantastic. It was a very sweet champagne, with a tobacco taste and oak,""

Each bottle is estimated to be valued at about $70.000 or so..
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100717/ap_on_re_eu/eu_sweden_champagne_find
 
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I'm surprised that the salt water didn't seep into them. Were bottles wax sealed back then?
 
Evo said:
I'm surprised that the salt water didn't seep into them. Were bottles wax sealed back then?
Sea water tasted much better then, since you didn't have oil spills. :smile:
 
So does France, Russia or Finland get the salvage rights here, and which of the divers gets stuck with the bill for the bottle they opened?
 
Evo said:
I'm surprised that the salt water didn't seep into them. Were bottles wax sealed back then?

Wouldn't that be a likely quality security measure, in order to keep the sparkle in the champagne?
 
Someone needs to compare pressure inside a champagne bottle with pressure at whatever depth they found this cache at. Bet they're not far off if the champagne has kept its fizz and not been contaminated with water. Good job!
 

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