Thursday, December 2, 2010

200 Year Old Bottles of Champagne Opened and Tasted


Bottles of champagne, after almost 200 years under water have been opened in Finland, .
Wine enthusiasts and experts attending the uncorking in Mariehamn were able to try a glass of this 200 year old champagne, which was recovered from a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea.

The vintage were bottles of both Veuve Clicquot and the Juglar brands of champagne.

Swedish wine connoisseaur Richard Juhlin took the first sip, which he described as "wonderful."
He said that after nearly 200 years beneath the ocean the champagne had lost its fizz, but not its flavour.
"I think what strikes you the most is that it's such an intense aroma. It's so different from anything you've tasted before."

The deep-sea discovery was made by divers near the Aland Islands in July, who salvaged a total of 168 bottles of champagne as well as crates of vintage beer.

Aland's culture minister Britt Lundeberg said: "All bottles are not intact but the majority are in good condition."

Five bottles will be kept by the governemnt as archaeological artefacts and the rest will be sold at an auction.

They are expected to earn £44,000 ($77,000) each.