170-Year-Old Champagn from Shipwreck Tastes Sweet, 'Cheesy' & With Notes of 'Wet Hair'

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Scientists tested bottles of champagne from a 170-year-old Baltic shipwreck to discover ancient winemaking methods.

More than 160 bottles of bubbly French champagne were scavenged from the bottom of the sea, according to the Smithsonian. A group of divers made the discovery in 2010 when they saw the sunken ship 160 feet below the surface of the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Finland.

Most of the bottles were well-preserved due to the stable and dark conditions. A team of scientists were able to obtain samples of the bubbly for testing. Philippe Jeandet of the University of Reims and his team hired wine experts to take a taste so they can compare it to their findings.

The initial testing of the wine by the experts exuded responses such as "cheesy," "wet," and "animal notes." After a few moments of swirling the Baltic wines in glasses, the wine was later described as "grilled, spice, smoky, and leathery" with fruit and floral notes.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and provided insight about the components of vintage winemaking practices in the 19th century.

According to the Washington Post, the bottles of champagne were identified by their branded corks. Included was a well-known brand that still exists today and was founded in 1772, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. The vintage Baltic wine was compared to its modern counterpart and was found to be sweeter and had less alcohol content.

The vintage wine samples had around 14 percent or 140 grams of sugar per bottle. The sugar content indicated where the ship was headed, according to the journal Nature. The shipment was headed to German markets because they enjoyed sweeter wines. Compared to the standard today of only using 10 grams per liter, it suggests that ancient winemakers used to add more syrup and sugar.

The ancient wines had a creamy yogurt quality which suggests that lactic acid was added during the fermentation process. The samples also had high concentrations of copper and iron from using taille - a juice acquired from the grape's second pressing. Therefore, the wines were less alcoholic with only around 9.5 percent proof compared to modern wine with 12 percent.

The bubblies have been auctioned for $156,000 each bottle. Jeandet, the lead researcher, was able to try some of the wine.

"It was incredible," said to Smithsonian Magazine. "I have never tasted such a wine in my life. The aroma stayed in my mouth for three or four hours after tasting it."