Divers exploring a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea have found bottles of the oldest drinkable champagne in the world. Said to be made in the 18th century, diver Christian Ekstrom told Reuters that they had discovered bottles of unmarked champagne at the shipwreck in the Baltic Sea near the Aland Islands between Sweden and Finland. The ship was speculated to be sailing to St.Petersburg when it went down. Not knowing what the bottle contained, Ekstrom said the divers popped the cork and tasted the champagne. “It tasted fantastic. It was a very sweet champagne, with a tobacco taste and oak,” Ekstrom said.

Champagne specialists in France are convinced that the champagne is Veuve Clicquot champagne made between 1772 and 1785. If this is true, these bottles of champagne will be considered the oldest in the world, breaking the current title held by Perrier-Jouet, which has two bottles from 1825.

According to Richard Juhlin, a Swedish champagne specialist who told the newspaper Alandstidningen that he believed the champagne was Veuve Cliquot and said that if it was from the late 18th century, it could cost around 500,000 Swedish crowns (US$68,000) a bottle if the corks are intact and the campagne is genuine and drinkable. It is believed that there are about 30 bottles scattered amid the wreckage. Via Luxury Insider, via Reuters.

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Excuse us for this really big image of Luxor Brut champagne, but we need it that size so you can see the real 24 Carat Gold flakes swimming around inside in what must be the most decadent bottle of champagne you are going to see as we enter the Year of the Tiger!

Winebuzz.hk in co-operation with Bacchus Asia have ten 75 cl bottles of this rare champagne left to buy by the end of business on Friday, so we can get it to you before the Lunar New Year.

There are only 1,000 bottles of this unique champagne made a year, enjoyed by the likes of Mickey Rourke, Christian Audigier and Tony Parker. It’s a sure-fire conversation starter at your Chinese New Year party and can be yours at a very special price!

This champagne’s quality is like none other as it is based on Drappier “Cuvee Special,” and consists of 90% Pinot Noir, 7% Chardonnay and 3% Pinot Meunier as well as 24 carat Golden Leaves – the highest level of purity you can find for the gold! With widespread availability in Europe, it has only now come to the Asian market so we want you to be the first to try it.

Drop us an email to email or call Sidney at Winebuzz (852) 3488-1090 if interested in one or more of these luxurious bubblies but make sure to get in quick as it’s on a first come-first serve basis.

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Champagne is named for the region where its grapes are grown – Champagne in France – invented accidentally by a monk called Dom Perignon (yes, that was his name!). This bubbly wine is literally that…a sparkling white wine. True champagne must come from the region in France; everything else is merely sparkling wine and not the beverage that’s often favoured to ring in the New Year.

Located approximately one hundred miles from Paris, Champagne consists of five different wine districts and vintages, falling into five different categories: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra dry, Sec and Demi-sec, which denote sweetness. Celebrating with champagne is a time-honored tradition that dates back many years. In ancient Rome, it was customary to celebrate events with the best in food and drink, and, what’s more luxurious than champagne? The same tradition goes back to Russia and Spain, which also includes eating twelve grapes to ring in the New Year!

Why not enjoy a few celebratory bubbles to pop into 2010 with a bang? Jacquesson Cuvee No.732 N.V. is a sparkling, sweet vintage made with 52% chardonnay, 24% pinot noir and 24% pinot meunier and retailing for around HK$498.

Beaumont des Crayeres Grand Prestige Brut is made with a blend of the same grapes; a dry champagne with a rich, medium-body flavor. Perfect for fish and poultry, bottles of this vintage sell for HK$295.00. The Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV is a sweet, white champagne that tastes of pears, green apples and flowers; a perfect match for white meats. It can be yours for HK$498.00.

You can go vintage as well with a HK$2,398 bottle of Krug Vintage 1996 or go Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1995 for HK$2,050.

Learn more about these bottles or order online at Watson’s Wine Cellar.

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