World’s Oldest Champagne Salvaged from Shipwreck
Ick. I can’t imagine that this champagne tasted very good, at all. I suspect my take on it would be closer to the AP reporter’s take, rather than the expert’s “lyrical” take. Which is probably why I’m not in business as a wine expert …
They say a good wine matures with age. But does champagne lose its sparkle after nearly two centuries under water?
An expert who tasted the vintage bubbly billed as the world’s oldest drinkable champagne was lyrical Wednesday, detecting hints of chanterelles and linden blossom.
An Associated Press reporter, who also sampled a bottle, found only a slight fizz and flavors of yeast and honey.
The champagne - of the brands Veuve Clicquot and the now defunct Juglar - was recovered from a shipwreck discovered in July near the Aland Islands, between Sweden and Finland. A total of 168 bottles were raised in the salvage operation, officials of the semiautonomous Finnish archipelago told reporters on Wednesday.