COPENHAGEN, Denmark. Nearly 100 bottles of 19th-century Champagne and mineral water discovered in a shipwreck off southern Sweden will remain untouched, as Swedish authorities enforce strict protection measures. The wreck, located about 190 feet (58 meters) deep off Blekinge County, has been declared “an ancient relic” by Swedish officials.
The wreck’s location has been known since 2016 and is listed in Sweden’s National Antiquities Office’s cultural environment register. However, it wasn’t until July 11 that Polish scuba divers unearthed the valuable cargo while exploring the site 20 nautical miles south of the Baltic Sea island of Öland.
Wine and water experts have expressed keen interest in analyzing the contents of the bottles, according to Tomasz Stachura, the leader of the dive team. Despite the enthusiasm, Swedish authorities have made it clear that no items can be removed from the wreck. “You must not damage the ancient remains, which also includes taking items from the wreck, e.g., champagne bottles, without permission from the county,” Magnus Johansson, a county official, told The Associated Press. “The champagne bottles are a fantastically well-preserved find that gives us a snapshot of shipping and life on board at the end of the 19th century,” he added.
Had the shipwreck dated back to before 1850, it would have been automatically categorized as an ancient relic. “But we have established that the cultural and historical values of the wreck were so high that it should be declared as an ancient relic,” said Daniel Tedenlind, a county official from neighboring Kalmar.
Stachura previously speculated that the cargo might have been destined for the royal table in Stockholm or the residence of the Russian tsar in St. Petersburg when the ship sank during the latter half of the 19th century. For now, the site remains preserved as a significant historical artifact, with no plans to disturb its contents.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
