Shall we crack open the 350AD vintage? Historians debate whether to open ‘world’s oldest bottle of wine’

The world’s oldest unopened bottle of wine, known as the Speyer wine bottle or Römerwein aus Speyer, has been preserved at Germany’s Historical Museum of the Palatinate for over a century. Dating back to around 325 CE, the bottle’s exceptional craftsmanship, combined with a wax seal and a thick layer of olive oil, prevented its contents from evaporating entirely over the millennia. Since its discovery, this ancient artifact has been displayed in the Wine Museum section of the Historical Museum in Speyer, drawing attention as a remarkable testament to ancient winemaking and preservation techniques.

Tasty: The so-called Roman wine is on display in a museum

No pH๏τo description available.

Historians in Germany are debating whether or not to open what is believed to be the world’s oldest bottle of wine.

The 1,650-year-old bottle, sealed with wax and containing a white liquid, has been on display at the Pfalz Historical Musuem for more than a century.

The wine, believed to have been produced locally, was buried with a Roman noble near the German city of Speyer in 350AD. It was discovered in 1867 and analysed by the Kaiser’s chemists during the First World War.

The museum’s wine department curator Ludger Tekampe said: ‘We are not sure whether or not it could stand the shock to the air. It is still liquid.’

Tasty: The so-called Roman wine is on display in a museum

Wine professor Monika Christmann said: ‘Micro-biologically it is probably not spoiled, but it would not bring joy to the palate.’

Ludger Tekampe, the wine department curator of the museum, said; ‘We are not sure whether or not it could stand the shock to the air.

‘It is still liquid and there are some who believe it should be subjected to new scientific analysis but we are not sure.

Keine Fotobeschreibung verfügbar.

‘I have personally held the bottle twice in my hand during renovations. That was an amazing feeling.’

A splash of olive oil and a seal of H๏τ wax has kept the white wine liquid down all the 602,000-plus days since it was made.

The Pfalz is one of Germany’s top winegrowing regions and the wine that the Roman nobleman had with him in the grave was almost certainly produced nearby.

Wine keeper: The Pfalz Historical Museum in Germany has been home to the 1,650-year-old bottle, sealed with wax and containing a white liquid

Wine keeper: The Pfalz Historical Museum in Germany has been home to the 1,650-year-old bottle, sealed with wax and containing a white liquid

Related Posts

In the Midst of Chaos, Woman Captures Image of Alien’s “Minuscule Figure” on Camera

In her own words, Mellisa Braham from St. Helens recounts, “Recently, it was my birthday, and I received a new smartphone as a gift. On Friday, February…

A Mermaid Fossil in the Bermuda Triangle: Myth or Hidden Reality?

In December 2024, an international team of marine researchers made a groundbreaking discovery that sent shockwaves through the scientific community. During an expedition in the infamous Bermuda…

Pompeii Friend Group

Araldo de Luca Plaster casts from the House of the Golden Bracelet Pasquale Sorrentino When the a.d. 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius blanketed the southern Italian city of Pompeii in…

Life-Size Sculpture Captures a Soaked Bathsheba in Stunning Detail

Benjamin Victor, “Bathsheba,” bronze (clay shown), life-size, 2020. (Lincoln, NE) For thousands of years, sculptors have challenged themselves to render the human form. The age-old tradition encompᴀsses…

“Alter Rock”, Thalpan – Petroglyphs along the Indus River

The Altar Rock at Thalpan is located on the sandy north bank of the Indus River. The rock is carved with motifs, mainly animal rather than Buddhist…

Egypt unveils hidden tunnel inside Great Pyramid of Giza

“Scanning work will continue to uncover more secrets.” CAIRO, Egypt — A nine-meter long hidden pᴀssageway was discovered inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt’s tourism minister Ahmed…