Unnatural Resources

Treasures from the ocean floor. Beyond the bright, colourful tropical fish whose sizes and shapes and hues delight those who descend to view them in their natural habitat. And beyond the seafood that human beings consume, the fish and shellfish that are so much a part of a healthy human diet. Yes, there are aquatic plants, corals, and wonderful underwater scenes representing a world below our own.

Yet who knew that man-made treasures abound there that may also be consumed with pleasure?

Premium brand Veuve Clicquote, to be precise. Thirty bottles of which have been brought to the surface, assessed by a wine expert to be "fabulous", despite their 240-some-odd years' vintage. Making them the most elderly of all champagnes, yet potable. This is what ideal conditions can make of venerable vintages, and the cold of the ocean floor is what has preserved this inestimable wine which never reached its original destination.

Knowledgeable historians have concluded that these bottles most likely represent a shipment forwarded by King Louis XVI, to the Russian Imperial Court. On the basis of their having been identified as Veuve Clicquot, first produced in 1772, augmented by the identifying cork, and the fact that the wine makers have no record of the delivery ever having reached its intended destination.

Intrepid, and duly rewarded Swedish divers discovered the sunken vessel and its cargo off the Finnish Aaland island, between Sweden and Finland. Drunk with success and eager anticipation, they sought expert advice and were doubly rewarded. There are additional bottles waiting to be brought to the surface but their exact location will remain a well-kept secret. Logically so.

Since those precious bottles which have reached the surface are expected to bring their finders a veritable fortune. The auction firm Cromwell-Morgan has estimated the opening price for each bottle to be $69,000 U.S.