Two bottles of what is believed to be the world’s oldest champagne will be put up for a bidding war this summer. They were two out of 145 bottles of intact, corked champagne discovered by divers in an early 19th century shipwreck in the summer of 2010. The provincial government of the Finnish Åland Islands, which owns the artefacts recovered from the shipwreck, will oversee the auction.
According to experts, the champagne was produced in the early part of the 1800’s, with their contents all hailing from the Veuve Clicquot, Juglar and Heidsieck champagne houses. Organized by the American auction house Acker Merrall & Condit, there will be one bottle of Veuve Cliquot and one of Juglar.
“The final price can only be guessed at, but it will probably reach a record level,” leading champagne expert Richard Juhlin speculates.
“The money made over time from sales of the champagne will be used for the public good, for example for improving the state of the surrounding Baltic Sea,” adds Rainer Juslin of the Åland provincial government.
(Source: YLE)