Many centuries ago, humanity has just begun to study the wonderful properties of grapes. And even then, people guessed to use it to make the most valuable drink - wine. Thanks to excavations by modern archaeologists who constantly discover ancient objects with particles of wine, we can learn more about the oldest wines in the world. In this article we will try to introduce you to the most ancient finds. As in any field, under the theme of the oldest wine in the world, there is a lot of conflicting and not entirely reliable information. We will provide you with the most accurate and interesting facts regarding the traces of ancient wines found.
The oldest bottle of wine in the world
This incredibly valuable exhibit is kept in the Historical Museum of Germany. Discovered in 1867 during excavations in the small German town of Speyer. Then the joint grave of a Roman nobleman and his wife was found. According to experts, the history of the oldest wine in the world began more than 1690 years ago! Of the sixteen one and a half liter bottles found in the sarcophagus, only one remained. If you believe the ancient legend, then this wine must have been put to accompany the dead in the afterlife. Unfortunately, until today the contents of the bottle could not be kept in their original form. Now it is rather a sour clear liquid with olive oil. Yes, it is oil! In ancient times, a small amount of this product was always added to wine bottles, which prevented the evaporation of alcohol. Unfortunately, this measure saved only a few years, but not centuries.
Another no less interesting fact is how in ancient times bottles were closed with wine. Today, we are all accustomed to ordinary corks, and before the bottles were sealed with wax. That is why the contents of the oldest bottle were preserved. After all, a cork plug would simply rot in such a number of years.
Another German find, considered the oldest wine in the world produced in the last millennium, is a drink of 1727. The exhibit is stored in the museum of the city of Bremen.
The oldest wine in the world from China
Currently, there is no more ancient find than wine discovered in China - it is more than nine thousand years old! This
rice wine contained not only a cereal base, but also grapes, honey, and other fruits. During the excavations, more than five liters of this ancient drink were discovered, which no archaeologist dared to try. After all, stored for such a long time in a vessel of bronze, it could simply oxidize and deteriorate.
And another drink, deserving to be called the oldest wine in the world, was presented to us by China. It was discovered not so long ago - in 1980, during excavations in the city of Xinyang. According to the results of the examination, this wine was made in 1300 BC.
The oldest wines of Spain
A rather old wine - produced in Spain in 1775 and called "Jerez de la Fronteira" - is stored in the Crimean Museum "Massandra". The price of the oldest wine in the world in 2001 was more than fifty thousand dollars per bottle. It was this value that was given to the lot during the Sotheby's auction.
Another rare representative of the grape drink is Chateau D'Yquem. A bottle of wine produced back in 1787 in Bordeaux was sold in 2006 for $ 90 thousand. Today it is the most expensive wine sold in the history of wine auctions.
Iranian Antique Wine
During one of the archaeological studies carried out in the northern part of Iran, a vessel was found with petrified remains of a yellowish color. After a thorough examination of the discovered utensils, it was revealed that an interesting find is nothing but the oldest wine over seven thousand years old! There is an assumption that the modern wine industry originates in the mountains of Western Asia.
Latest find
More recently, during an excavation near the Tower of London, a clogged bottle of wine made in Madeira was found. Archaeologists have found a cellar belonging to the military command of the seventeenth century. And this means that the wine has lain since about 1679. There is a version that the drink was made in the mid-seventeenth century from grapes from Madeira, after which it was sent to the British colonies. Most likely, after tasting the wine, the owner was not satisfied and simply postponed it. This version was born thanks to the found open bottle next to the untouched.
But what about Europe?
Italians and Greeks are also trying to prove that they also once produced wine, and these wines are much older than those found at present. So, during archaeological excavations in Greece, about two and a half thousand grape seeds and at least three hundred empty grapes were discovered, which were at least seven thousand years old. The remains of grapes indicate that, perhaps, in those distant times, wine or at least juice was made in the territory sung later in the myths and legends of Hellas. It remains only to prove that the bones found are precisely the wastes of the production of the drink so beloved throughout the world.