The wreck is about 20 nautical miles south of the Swedish island of Öland.
Stachura, who makes a speciality of underwater images, mentioned the ship was in “superb situation” and “brimming with historic treasures, together with crates of champagne, baskets of mineral water and porcelain.”
After analyzing a few of the gadgets on board, the divers estimate that the ship capsized within the second half of the Nineteenth century.
The divers didn’t initially anticipate the wreck to be “something important,” Stachura mentioned in an e mail to The Washington Put up on Thursday, including that the group “even hesitated for a second whether or not to dive in any respect.”
However two of the group’s crew, Marek Cacaj and Pawel Truszynski, had been decided to take a look at the wreck, Stachura mentioned, including that the pair had been gone for nearly two hours.
Stachura mentioned he knew then that the group had in all probability positioned one thing particular.
Whereas the Baltictech group has discovered “quite a few wrecks” within the Baltic Sea, it’s uncommon to discover a shipwreck “loaded to the brim” with champagne, Stachura mentioned.
“I’ve been diving for 40 years, and it usually occurs that there’s one bottle or two … however to find a wreck with a lot cargo, it’s a primary for me,” he mentioned.
The group additionally found clay water bottles, with the German model identify Selters stamped on them.
Throughout this era, the German model was “extremely valued” and “usually reserved for royal tables,” Stachura mentioned. The water was “thought-about virtually medicinal.”
Frank Schellmann, a spokesperson for Selters, mentioned Thursday that the corporate was following information of the invention with “nice curiosity.”
“Such a discover is certainly extraordinary — and notably fascinating to us contemplating the portions discovered and the situation,” he mentioned, although he added that Selters doesn’t have any additional data relating to the interval during which the recovered bottles had been dated.
Developments relating to the group’s discovery will probably be shared on the Baltictech 2024 Convention, which be held in November in Poland.
Whereas the divers notified Swedish regional authorities about their discover, they may not have the ability to crack open the traditional champagne simply but.
Additional exploration and the potential of hauling the cargo to the floor “will take time as a result of administrative restrictions,” Stachura mentioned, although he didn’t appear too fazed about ready to evaluation the treasure above water.
“It had been mendacity there for 170 years, so let it lie there for yet another 12 months, and we may have time to higher put together for the operation,” he mentioned.
However even when the group does finally get an opportunity to pattern their champagne haul, the standard of the wines can be “a lottery,” mentioned Leta Bester, director on the London Wine Academy.
Elements such because the integrity of the cork and storage situations underwater might affect the state of the champagne, Bester mentioned.
How effectively a wine ages “largely is dependent upon the standard of the wine within the first place,” Bester mentioned. “If these wines had been top-quality classic champagne, then the possibilities are increased that some may survive.”
Bester famous that almost all of nonvintage champagnes aren’t meant for long-term ageing, so “with out understanding what wines they had been within the first place, it’s inconceivable to invest.”
If the bottles have remained sealed and there was no contamination, the champagne would in all probability not be dangerous, Bester mentioned, earlier than noting that it could be “essential” to check a pattern of the alcohol in a “managed surroundings to make sure it meets fashionable security requirements.”
Glowing wines do lose their bubbles over time, and the situation of every bottle would in all probability fluctuate, Bester mentioned.
“I doubt that they might be wonderful to attempt,” she mentioned. “Aside from for the sake of the expertise.”
