How far will one go for a bottle of bubbly? To the bottom of the ocean it seems for some, as 200 bottles of champagne have been recovered after nearly 100 years underwater. Not only will you be drinking one of the oldest champagnes in the world but you must be able to pay £156,000 a bottle for this luxury. The vintage 1907 Heidsieck champagne, that sunk on its way to the Russian Imperial family in 1916, was found near Finland and will go up for auction at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow, date still unknown.

Earlier this year we saw the “community of the super-rich” offered up the chance to customize their own bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne, whereby, after lengthy discussion with the Cellar Master, you could personally add your chosen ‘liqueur’. At the time, this limited edition offer was the most expensive bottle of new champagne, going for a mere $6,485. it doesn’t compars to the starting price for this most recent discovery.

Has the time come when the elite are paying over the odds for a unique experience? Those with a Lambda worldview may disagree: for them, this once-in-a-lifetime, long lasting, perfectly preserved bubbly provides them with an unparalleled, unique experience, not to mention a great talking point over dinner. Thetas, on the other hand, would likely purchase one of the 200 bottles on offer for the chance it gives them to gain entry to this most elite “community of the super-rich”. To them, this bottle is yet another validation ticket into the inner circle for champagne connoisseurs.

Those lucky enough to be able to purchase one of the 200 bottles may be satisfying a collector’s impulse or simply indulging on a small piece of history.