Shipwreck Champagne Reveals Old Wine Secrets

Analysis of 168 bottles of bubbly that sat at the sea bottom for 170 years shows how the old-timers tweaked their champagne taste. Cynthia Graber reports April 24, 2015 | |

What’s better than old wine in new bottles? For scientists, old wine in old bottles, preserved 150 feet down at the bottom of the sea. In 2010 divers were exploring a in the Baltic when they discovered 168 bottles of what appeared to be wine. A quick swig from one of the long submerged bottles revealed that the liquid within was actually .

The labels were long gone, but the brandings on the corks revealed the producers to be storied champagne houses, including . The brandings, along with the age of the boat and other items on board helped researchers determine that the champagne was about 170 years old.

Now scientists have analyzed the contents of the bottles—and compared them to modern champagne.

They found the 19th-century bubbly had lower levels of alcohol. According to historical records, the fermentation happened later in the year than it does now, so the colder temperatures, along with the native yeast used would have led to a less efficient alcohol conversion.

And the old wine had significantly higher sugar content. The research team determined that the extra sweetness likely came from grape syrup, added to the champagne before corking. The work is in the journal . [Philippe Jeandet et al, ]

The scientists say these still marine waters are an excellent environment for wine storage. 

—Cynthia Graber

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