International Media Gathers at Åland Champagne Tasting
Over 100 media representatives from around the world gathered in Åland on Wednesday for a tasting of centuries-old champagne, one of the biggest media events in the Finnish autonomous island region’s history.
In attendance were representatives of international news agencies such as Reuters, AP, AFP and Bloomberg, as well as reporters from France’s daily Le Monde. Journalists from the Nordic countries and Germany also joined the event.
About 20 media guests were invited to taste vintage champagne that was found at the bottom of the sea, in Ålandic waters this summer.
YLE's Pirjo Peltoniemi was among the lucky ones. "It had a powerful aroma and tasted surprisingly sweet; slightly of chocolate, raisins and toffee," she said.
The treasure was discovered in a shipwreck by local diver Christian Ekström and his team. The divers came across around 70 bottles of champagne in the well-preserved wreck, which has been dated to the eighteenth or nineteenth century.
The wreck and its champagne belong to the regional Åland Government. Determined to maximize the PR benefit of the event, the regional Government arranged to take the journalists around the island region for sightseeing.
The tasting was held at the House of Culture in the capital Mariehamn at noon on Wednesday.
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