Bizarre, Society

Aged and Chilled: Divers Find Oldest Known Champagne at Botten of the Baltic

Divers have found a cache of the oldest known champagne from the 18th century — believed to be Veuve Clicquot champagne from between 1772 and 1785.

Diver Christian Ekstrom described the taste: “It was fantastic… it had a very sweet taste, you could taste oak and it had a very strong tobacco smell. And there were very small bubbles.”

It is believed that the ship was probably sailing to St Petersburg. The current oldest champagne is held by Perrier-Jouet, which has two bottles from 1825.

Officials in Aland, Finland will decide what to do with the bottles and the wreck.

In 1772, Philippe Clicquot-Muiron founded the house of Veuve Clicquot. His son, François Clicquot, took over the company but his smartest move was to marry Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin in 1798. Clicquot died in 1805 and left Madame Clicquot (shown right) in charge. She and her company flourished during the Napoleonic Wars and became an international success, including popularity in Imperial Russia.

Source: ABC

20 thoughts on “Aged and Chilled: Divers Find Oldest Known Champagne at Botten of the Baltic”

  1. Pingback: Comments | HMWS Blog

  3. Alrighty. I’m going to try to put up a song of mine here today. This would be the Internet debut of my music. I’m going to be creating a website for my music called Better Late Than Never. It seems apropos that I would “air” my first song on Jonathan’s site. That’s kind of how I roll. For instance, when I was in Paris last September, the first restaurant I went to was an Indian restaurant.

  4. In order for it to be illegal, they would have to be breaching laws. There were no laws, that we know of, on immigration back then.Plus, just because you walk over a border doesn’t mean you’re automatically illegal. Plenty of immigrants come here legally.hopefully the researcher was just joking around and wasn’t trying to make a Jon Stewart like political point (i’m joking but i’m serious).

  6. hmmm my embed did not

    let me try Kris Kristoferson

    You Show Me Yours

  7. Beth Hunter: chortling and let’s hear some music

    let me add my favorite joke

    what goes clop clop clop clop bang bang clop clop clop clop

    answer tomorrow

    Mojo Nixon and Jello Biafra: Are You Drinking With Me Jesus?

    Buddha Is Laughing: Spill the Wine, now there’s a great song, Eric Burdon is one of my favorites

    Wayne in Minnesota: First they didn’t have the bamboo umbrellas for the drinks, and now snails on the plate!

  8. Or, for historic value…

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4IN22haM0U&hl=en_US&fs=1]

  9. Gyges,

    We most both be heretics then because “Both Sides Now” has always made my hair stand on end.

  10. Beth,

    I was hoping this would evolve into a booze based music thread. I think the next move should be “Spill the Wine” or possibly “Little Brown Jug.”
    Of course this might be the route for the more classically minded among us.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8VGCVSDDX8&hl=en_US&fs=1]

  11. Buddha,

    Yeah, I’ve been listening to her all morning. Not a huge fan of her version of “Both Sides Now,” but I (being somewhat heretical) don’t particularly care for the song in general. She does sing a great Bossa though.

  12. Wow, if you guys like music so much, maybe I should post some of my own. I am a singer-songwriter, after all. But I actually am here to just provide a joke for everyone on this incredibly hot and humid day (at least in Chicago). Apologies in advance for any unwelcome lewdness.

    A man enters a restaurant and while sitting at his table, notices a gorgeous woman sitting at another table, alone. He calls the waiter over and asks for the most expensive bottle of champagne to be sent over to her knowing that if she accepts it, she is his.

    The waiter gets the bottle and quickly sends it over to the girl, saying, “This is from the gentleman.” She glances at the champagne and decides to send a note back to the man. The note reads: “For me to accept this bottle, you need to have a Mercedes in your garage, $1 million in liquid assets, and 7 inches in your pants.”

    Well, the man, after reading this note, sends his own note back to her: “Just so you know — I happen to have TWO Mercedes in my garage, I have well over $2 million in assets, but not even for YOU would I cut off 2 inches! Send the bottle back.”

  13. Gyges,

    She has a lovely voice. Nice arrangement and a tight band too.

  14. My latest discovery: Ann Sally singing “The Days of Wine and Roses.”

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrtZajh4Nrg&hl=en_US&fs=1]

  15. @Jinx Henriksen: Where I grew up, botten it means “from shopping,” as in “I just got us a nice bottle box of store-botten wine.”

  16. Waiter: Would monsieur care for another bottle of Chateau Latour?

    Navin Johnson: Ah yes, but no more 1966. Let’s splurge! Bring us some fresh wine! The freshest you’ve got – this year! No more of this old stuff.

  17. Actually botten is Finnish for bottom. Send me a bottol, s’ils vous plait. Merci.

    hahahaha! touche’ 😉

  18. Actually Botten is the Swedish (bur not Finnish) name for the Gulf of Bothnia.

  19. Actually botten is Finnish for bottom. Send me a bottol, s’ils vous plait. Merci.

  20. Hey man,

    Not “Botten” of the Baltic. “Botten” means “bottom” as in the shipwreck lies on the bottom of the Baltic sea.

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