(A collection of vintage wines, found 100 metres below sea level (Image: Cookson Adventures)
Hundreds of bottles of vintage wine and champagne discovered in shipwreck off Cornish coast.
By Hannah Maltwood
14:08, 17 APR 2019 | updated 20:28, 20 APR 2019
Cornwall live
An unusual underwater expedition is being planned off the Cornish coast, to send a submarine 100 metres below the ocean to retrieve rare bottles of 100-year-old wine and champagne sitting on the seabed for a century.
An unusual underwater expedition is being planned off the Cornish coast, to send a submarine 100 metres below the ocean to retrieve rare bottles of 100-year-old wine and champagne sitting on the seabed for a century.
During the First World War a ship laden with alcohol, travelling between Bordeaux and England, was torpedoed on its journey by a German U boat.
Sinking to the bottom of the sea, the ship and its cargo have laid undisturbed since 1918.
Now experts want to salvage the historical artefacts in what they believe will be “one of the most significant historical discoveries of the century”, and they’re allowing a member of the public to go along on the voyage.
Through a partnership between Cookson Adventues, maritime experts 10994 and dive and survey expert Nigel Hodge, from Cornish Fishing, the wreck has now been located, sitting in the English Channel, just off the coast of Cornwall.
It is believed that many of the bottles are intact, and indeed, drinkable (Image: Cookson Adventures)
Once the location was revealed 10994 completed an initial dive with just 12 minutes of air time, to find out exactly what lay under the water.
The dive, which covered only a fraction of the vessel, seemingly revealed that in the wreckage, there are hundreds of intact bottles of vintage alcohol including champagne, wine and brandy.
And wine experts believe that due to the environmental conditions, keeping the cargo away from natural light, in cool temperatures, will have kept the wine drinkable for its return to the surface.
The next stage of the expedition will see advanced submarines and remotely operated underwater vehicles sent down to complete a further survey of the area and recover some of the bottles.
(It is believed that many of the bottles are intact, and indeed, drinkable (Image: Cookson Adventures)
Now members of the public are being offered the “one-of-a-kind opportunity” to join the team, staying in a private Falmouth mansion for seven days whilst being part of the expedition which will include two days of mapping and surveying followed by the salvage operation.
When the bottles are brought back from the seabed, with the help of leading wine experts, it is then hoped the wine will be able to be tested, the moment it surfaces.
The excursion, being put together by Cookson Adventures, includes a week of meals cooked by a private chef and helicopter transfers back and forth to the salvage vessel.
Régis D. Gougeon, professor of chemistry and oenology – the study of wine – and director of the Institute de la Vigne et du Vin (IUVV) Jules Guyot at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, said: ” There is no doubt that the samples extracted from the site will have great historical significance as we are not aware of such a wide and aged variety of wine, champagne and brandy being found before in UK waters.”
“This will be hugely important for our ongoing research and for world history as we know it.”
Adam Sebba, CEO of Cookson Adventures, said: “It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to be a part of one of the most significant historical discoveries of the century. The rarity of such a cargo is unprecedented and we’re waiting with baited breath to dive and see if we can recover the wine.
“The dive will be challenging but, by working with a team of leading experts in a number of specialist fields, we are confident that we can extract the prized artefacts intact.”
More on joining the expedition can be found on the Cookson Adventures website or by sending an email to info@cooksonadventures.com.
