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It sounds like a scene from one of Dos Equis old Most Interesting Man in the World commercials: A diver disappears over the side of a ship and descends to a wreck far below. Then they return, not with gold or priceless artifacts, but with a bottle of champagne: already aged and chilled to perfection. But if you think about it, aged wines are one of the most valuable things divers might recover from a sunken ship. And trying to protect historic wrecks from wine speculators is a real problem for government officials.

Polish scuba divers were exploring a shipwreck recently when they found something interesting: 100 intact bottles of mineral water and champagne.

Apparently the wreck was an otherwise unremarkable fishing boat 190 feet below the surface of the Baltic Sea. Tomasz Stachura, the lead diver, wagers the expensive cargo was en route to the Royal Palace in Stockholm–or maybe headed to the Russian Tsar in St. Petersburg–when the small boat sank.

You won’t be shocked to hear that multiple “wine experts” have contacted the dive team to learn more. I’m sure these treasure hunters would love to know the location of the bubbly. And of course test it to see if it’s still potable. That’s a big “if,” but worth the gamble. Century-old champagne can command a hefty sum at auction. But imagine the value of a limited batch of bottles with this kind of story?

It all may sound sleazy, but because the boat sank after 1850 it falls under modern salvage laws. Finders, keepers.

Older wrecks are automatically protected as ancient relics, under Swedish law. But the government leapt into action to declare “a clear and strong protection,” for this more recent wreck and classify it as “an ancient relic” too.

Magnus Johansson, a government official, told the Associated Press, “You must not damage the ancient remains, which also includes taking items from the wreck, e.g. champagne bottles, without permission from the county…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.”

Stachura said, “I’ve been a diver for 40 years. From time to time, you see one or two bottles…But I’ve never seen crates with bottles of alcohol and baskets of water like this.” I wonder if he’s wishing he’d swiped one and just reported 99 found.

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Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.