Thanks beaversmom.
Posted on 04/20/2015 7:38:06 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Biochemist Phillipe Jeandet.... who has analyzed the early 19-century bubbly, says there were surprising amounts of copper and iron in the wine. The copper most likely came from copper sulfate, which vintners used to kill mildew and fungus on growing grape vines, the report said. The nails used to hold the wooden storage barrels together probably account for the liquid’s high iron content, he said.
Even after 170 years lying some 165 feet deep in the ancient sunken cargo vessel, the champagne corks had not deteriorated because, scientists say, there was liquid both inside and out. And, according to Andrew Waterhouse, an expert in wine chemistry at the University of California at Davis, the corks were denser than ordinary wine corks so they could withstand the pressure of carbonation, which helped maintain the quality of the champagne.
Most wine will degrade because the cork degrades to the point where it no longer seals the bottle,” Waterhouse said in the report. “When you get to 50 years or older, it gets riskier and riskier.”
The 170-year-old Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin had a much higher sugar content than today’s champagnes—15 percent compared to only 1 to 3 percent in modern types—making it similar to a contemporary desert wine.
Chemical analysis also showed that instead of using cane sugar to sweeten the champagne, vintners back in the day used high levels of concentrated grape juice. And compared to modern-day champagnes that contain about 13 percent alcohol, the old wine was only 9 percent.
“My colleague put on my hand 100 microliters (.003 ounces) with a micro-syringe and it was fabulous, marvelous,” Jeandet told Discovery News via Skype. “The aroma was tobacco and it remained in my mouth for two or three hours. It was remarkable.”
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencerecorder.com ...
I remember reading of wine bottles brought up from the sunken city of Port Royal in Jamaica. They said the wine had an “oniony” flavor.
Pffft! Blech!
LOL
Ahh, the delicate sandy desert wine, an oasis of flavor.
Making champagne usually doesn't involve barrels at all. The wine is aged in the bottle.
Methinks somebody who is unfamiliar with Methode Champagnois just assumed that it was aged in barrels before it was bottled.
I had thought the same thing.
I had a friend, who was the President of a rather fanous winery. She had some barrels in the private library from france, about 300 years old and explained how they were made.
She was really proud of the lineage of her wine and history of wine in general.
I won’t say the name of the winery but, it ryhmes with bridge and it’s appearance on the world stage caused a fist fight during a blind tasting.
20 years after the fist fight, the blind taste was repeated and they won again.
The hoops might have been of iron, though in early periods the hoops were made of wood steam bent in a circle.
Some modern champagne bottles have a wire “basket” woven over the corks to add strength against the pressure. Maybe these once did, and were made of iron rather than today’s,
which look like aluminum.
You had the dime that day...
Took us four or five hours but, yeah...
LOL
Glad we had that giant limo the next day or we would have stayed in bed...
Ahh, the delicate sandy desert wine, an oasis of flavor.
...
Here’s how I remember. Sand has one “n”. Desert has one “s”. Dinner has two “n’s” Dessert has two “s’s”.
Le Bec Fin. I remember because I looked up the meaning of the name: “The Fine Beak” (meaning one who has a discerning palate).
“The Widow” was one of our favorites when we were drinking. Trying to imagine it with that many years in the bottle.
What was the ‘best before’ date on the bottle? Right, didn’t think so.
Once found some 2-year-old plain yogurt near the back of my fridge. It was still good to eat.
Thanks beaversmom.
Yep it did!
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