Officials in Sweden have announced that no unauthorized individuals will be permitted to retrieve the nearly 100 bottles of 19th-century Champagne and mineral water stored in a shipwreck off the southern coast of the country. The location of the wreck, documented by Sweden's National Antiquities Office's cultural environment since 2016, remained unexplored until Polish scuba divers stumbled upon the valuable cargo on July 11. Situated approximately 190 feet below the surface near the county of Blekinge, the sunken vessel was fortuitously discovered by the divers while conducting exploratory dives about 20 nautical miles south of Oeland, a Baltic Sea island.

Tomasz Stachura, the leader of the diving team, remarked, "In my 40 years of diving experience, I have occasionally come across one or two bottles, but I have never seen crates filled with alcohol and baskets brimming with water like this before." Wine and water experts promptly contacted the divers, expressing their eagerness to conduct laboratory tests on the contents of the bottles. However, Swedish authorities have sternly declared the sunken ship an "ancient relic" requiring "clear and strong protection" to ensure its preservation.

Magnus Johansson, a county official, emphasized the importance of upholding the integrity of the wreck, stating, "You must not damage the ancient remains, which also includes taking items from the wreck, such as champagne bottles, without permission from the county." Johansson further added, "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." While the wreck predates the automatic categorization as an ancient relic, local authorities have deemed it culturally and historically significant enough to warrant such classification.

According to Tomasz Stachura's earlier statements, it is believed that the cargo might have been en route to either the royal table in Stockholm or the residence of the Russian tsar in St. Petersburg when the ship sank sometime in the latter half of the 19th century. This discovery of Champagne in a shipwreck is not unprecedented. In 2011, a 200-year-old bottle of champagne retrieved from the depths of the Baltic Sea was sold for 30,000 euros at an auction in Finland. Additionally, in a previous incident, diving instructor Christian Ekstrom and his team unearthed approximately 30 bottles of bubbly on a sunken ship near the Aland Islands. These bottles, found at a depth of 200 feet, were estimated to be from the 1780s and were likely intended for transportation to Russia.

The Swedish authorities' firm stance on protecting the wreck and its contents underscores the significance of this extraordinary find. As interest from wine and water experts continues to pour in, the fate of these perfectly preserved artifacts remains uncertain, as formal permission will be required to conduct further research or extractions from the shipwreck. The discovery serves as a remarkable glimpse into the maritime history of the late 19th century and demonstrates the enduring allure of uncovering these hidden treasures from the depths of the sea.