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What is the Oldest Bottle of Wine Ever Tasted? A Casky Investigation
Have you ever wondered how old a bottle of wine can be and still be drinkable? Some wine collectors obsess over vintages that are decades or even centuries old, willing to pay a fortune to get a glimpse of the past through their taste buds. However, not all wines age well, and not all old wines are authentic or safe to consume. So, what is the oldest bottle of wine ever tasted, and how did it taste? Let’s uncork this mystery and savor its secrets with a casky investigation.
The Legend of the Speyer Wine Bottle
According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest bottle of wine with a corroborated date is the Römerwein, a glass vessel found in a Roman tomb near Speyer, Germany, in 1867. The tomb dates back to the 4th century AD, and the wine bottle was sealed with wax and contained a white, sweet, syrupy liquid. The bottle is now exhibited at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer, along with other Roman artifacts from the region.
However, the Römerwein has not been tasted by anyone since its discovery, as the contents could be contaminated by bacteria or other harmful agents, and the preservation techniques of the time may have altered the flavor and chemistry of the wine. Therefore, we have to rely on other accounts of old wines that have been tasted, albeit not necessarily by experts or under controlled conditions.
The Oldest Bottles of Wine Ever Sold
One of the most famous cases of a rare and ancient wine that has been tasted is the 1787 Château Lafite Rothschild from the cellar of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. The bottle was sold for a record-breaking $156,000 at an auction in 1985 to a Canadian businessman named Christopher Forbes, who reportedly opened it with friends in 1989. However, the wine was not in perfect condition, as the cork had crumbled, leaving some sediment in the bottle and exposing the wine to air for a brief time. Nevertheless, Forbes and his guests claimed that the wine tasted amazing, with notes of blackcurrant, leather, and tobacco, and that it was one of the best they had ever had.
Another old wine that made headlines for its age and rarity is the 1811 Château d’Yquem, a legendary Bordeaux dessert wine that was sold for €75,000 at a Christie’s auction in 2011. The bottle was said to have been part of the collection of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who supposedly ordered a shipment of Yquem to celebrate his victory at the Battle of Wagram. The wine was also opened and tasted by a group of experts and journalists in 2017, who described it as “magnificent,” “ethereal,” and “indescribable,” with flavors of honey, apricot, saffron, and ginger, and a long, complex finish.
However, both the Lafite and the Yquem were relatively young wines compared to the Römerwein and other ancient beverages, such as mead or beer, which have been found in tombs and shipwrecks around the world.
The Oldest Drinks on Earth
The oldest known recipe for a fermented beverage is beer, which was brewed by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia around 7000 BCE. The recipe consisted of barley bread, malt, and water, and the resulting beer was thick, soupy, and slightly sweet. Beer was also popular among the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, who used it for religious, medicinal, and social purposes.
However, beer is not wine, and wine has a different chemistry and aging process. Wine is made from grapes, which contain natural yeasts that turn the sugar in the juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The alcohol acts as a natural preservative, but over time, it can also react with other compounds in the wine, such as acids, tannins, and esters, creating new flavors, aromas, and textures. The age and quality of a wine depend on various factors, such as the grape variety, the climate, the soil, the winemaking techniques, and the storage conditions.
The oldest known wine in the world is not Roman, but rather Georgian, a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. In 2017, archaeologists discovered pottery fragments containing traces of wine that dated back to 6000 BCE, making them about 8,000 years old. The wine was made from a grape variety called Vitis vinifera, which is still used in Georgian winemaking, and was probably fermented and stored in underground clay jars called qvevri. The wine was analyzed by chemical and sensory methods, indicating that it had a tart, fruity taste with hints of honey, berries, and herbs, and a dry finish.
Other notable ancient beverages that have been tested by scientists or amateurs include:
– The Beehive Tomb mead, a carbonated honey wine found in an Egyptian tomb near Luxor in 1922, which was estimated to be about 3,500 years old and tasted “delicious” and “clean” by a group of mead enthusiasts in 1997.
– The Shipwreck wine, a blend of white and red wines that was recovered from a Greek merchant vessel that sank off the coast of Cyprus around 350 BCE and tasted by a team of wine experts led by Patrick McGovern in 2014. The wine had a strong fruity and spicy character, with notes of pine resin, mint, and coriander, and may have been fortified with herbs or spices to enhance its medicinal properties.
– The Perthshire ale, a Scottish beer that was brewed in 1896 for the coronation of Queen Victoria and rediscovered in a cellar in Perthshire in 1987 by a group of beer historians. The beer was described as “bright reddish-brown in color, with a fruity nose and mellow malty palate,” and was judged to be “marvelous” and “surprisingly drinkable” by a panel of tasters in 1990.
How to Evaluate an Old Wine
Now that we have some examples of old wines that have been tasted, let’s see how we can evaluate their quality and authenticity. Keep in mind that the following tips are not absolute and may vary depending on the wine and the context, but they can give you a general idea of what to look for.
– Check the cork: If the wine has a cork, examine it carefully for signs of damage, mold, or seepage. If the cork is dry, brittle, or crumbly, it may have let air or bacteria enter the bottle, spoiling the wine. If the cork is wet, stained, or protruding, it may have been pushed out by the gas or pressure inside, indicating that the wine is over-aged or faulty. However, some old wines may have synthetic or screw caps, which make cork inspection irrelevant.
– Inspect the label: Look for information about the vintage, the producer, the region, and the grape variety, as well as any awards, markings, or seals that may indicate the wine’s provenance or value. Compare the label to other examples of the same wine or similar wines from the same period, and search for any discrepancies or anomalies that may suggest a fake or a tampered wine. However, labels can be forged, and some old wines may not have labels at all.
– Check the fill level: Turn the bottle upright and look at the level of the wine inside. If the level is low, below the neck or the shoulder, it may mean that some wine has evaporated over time, or that the cork has shrunk or leaked. If the level is high, above the cork, it may mean that the wine has been topped up or added with younger wine, diluting its age or character. If the level is consistent with the age of the wine, between the neck and the shoulder, it may indicate a well-preserved wine. However, fill levels can be subjective and may vary depending on the bottle shape, the storage conditions, and the humidity.
– Smell the wine: Open the bottle and smell the wine right away. If you detect any musty, moldy, or off odors, such as wet cardboard, vinegar, or sulfur, the wine may be spoiled or contaminated. If you smell a clean, fruity, or complex aroma, with notes of dried fruit, leather, or spice, the wine may have aged well. If you smell nothing or a faint odor, the wine may have lost most of its aromas and flavors over time, indicating that it is past its prime. However, smelling the wine can be tricky, as some aromas may be deceptive or subjective, and some people may have different smell sensitivities or preferences.
– Taste the wine: Take a sip of the wine and let it coat your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing or spitting it out. If you taste any unpleasant or harsh flavors, such as vinegar, cork taint, or oxidation, the wine may be faulty or over-aged. If you taste a balance of acidity, sweetness, tannins, and fruitiness, with hints of complexity and depth, the wine may be in good condition. If you taste nothing or a flat, diluted, or thin flavor, the wine may be past its prime or no longer enjoyable. However, tasting the wine can be subjective, as some people may have different taste buds or preferences, and some wines may need more time to develop or reveal their true nature.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the oldest bottle of wine ever tasted by modern experts is not the Römerwein or any other ancient Roman artifact, but rather a 1727 German Rüdesheimer Apostelwein, which was opened and savored by Egon Müller IV in 1961, after he found it in a forgotten corner of his cellar. According to Müller, the wine tasted “wonderful,” with a “clean bouquet, a beautiful harmony, and a remarkable freshness,” and “a great, gentle soul.” Müller’s sister, who drank the same wine on her wedding day in 1958, also praised its delicate and ethereal qualities. The wine was made from the Riesling grape and was probably part of a collection of religious wines that were dedicated to the apostles and aged in oak barrels for decades.
However, the Rüdesheimer Apostelwein is not widely known or recognized as the oldest and finest wine in the world, partly because it has not been tasted or evaluated by a larger audience or a professional panel. The taste and quality of an old wine depend on many factors, some of which are beyond our control or knowledge, and some of which are subjective or variable. Sometimes, the story and the experience of drinking an old wine are more valuable than the wine itself, and the memories and the emotions it evokes can last longer than the flavors and the aromas. Therefore, if you ever have the chance to taste an old wine, savor it with curiosity, respect, and gratitude, and share your impressions with others, as they may be as rare and precious as the wine itself.
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