Divers Find 175-Year-Old Sealed Bottles of Champagne in Shipwreck—As Well As This ‘Precious’ Cargo:

Divers discovered bottles of champagne in the Baltic Sea. Courtesy of Baltictech

It had been almost two hours since the two men dove deep into the Baltic Sea for what had promised to be just a “quick dive”—their mates, who were still aboard the yacht, were now starting to wonder what had happened.

The team of six maritime explorers had initially set sail and headed dozens of miles south of Sweden when their sonar indicator just barely started scratching, a press release from Baltictech Conference stated. The objective of their first dive that day was to explore what was reportedly a sunken fishing boat, but doubts about its existence were soon raised when little was found in the way of wrecks. Little interest remained among the men by the time they surfaced, except in the curious minds of two, Marek Cacaj and Pawel Truszynski, who dove a second time and lingered for longer than expected.

Divers explored a 19th-century sailing ship in the Baltic Sea where they found bottles of champagne and mineral water. Courtesy of Baltictech

The discovery of bottles of mineral water enabled the researchers to date the find. Courtesy of Baltictech

On their first dive near the site of the shipwreck, the men found nothing, but their second dive proved fruitful. Courtesy of Baltictech

Their determination paid off, however, and their mates above water—Tomasz Stachura, Michal Iwicki, Maciej Honc, and Pawel Wilk—aboard M/Y ESPACE soon clued in that maybe something had been sighted after all. Something turned out to be a 19th-century sailing ship preserved in “very good condition,” the press release stated. When the men dove again, they found not just the very well preserved hull, but also a full cargo of assorted liquids still in sealed containers that were intact. Reportedly, the sealed porcelain vessels contained mineral water while glass bottles held champagne.

The bottles of champagne and mineral water were found still sealed. Courtesy of Baltictech

Mineral water was was highly valued as a type of medicine in the 19th century and used by royalty. Courtesy of Baltictech

“There was so much of it that it was difficult for us to judge the quantities,” the press release stated. “We certainly saw more than 100 bottles of champagne and baskets of mineral water in clay bottles.”

While champagne aged to perfection from the 19th century certainly stirs curiosity (would it still pop?), the mineral water was of particular interest as a “precious” commodity with a history to tell. “In those days, mineral water, was treated almost like medicine and only found its way to royal tables,” the press release said. “Its value was so precious that transports were escorted by the police. We came across about 100 sealed bottles of Selters water.”

The mineral water was produced by Selters, a German company that still produces mineral water today. Courtesy of Baltictech

The team is now planning to explore the shipwreck in greater detail. Courtesy of Baltictech

The researchers examined the stamp on the bottles of the mineral water and were able to date the find between 1870 and 1867. Courtesy of Baltictech

Selters being a German producer, examination of the shape of the stamp on the mineral water bottles allowed the explorers to narrow down the date of the shipment to between 1850 and 1867. The company still produces mineral water today. “This is a German producer which still exists, and its products are still considered exquisite,” they stated. “Interestingly, the pottery factory into which the water was bottled also exists, and we are in contact with them to find out more details.”

The team is now looking forward to exploring the wreck in greater detail in cooperation with the MARIS Foundation, Södertörn University, and professor Johan Rönnby, who is in charge of all underwater research in Sweden. All the necessary guidelines are now in place for future dives to take place, and the divers look forward to delivering more discoveries at the Baltitech 2024 Conference.

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