A team of archaeologists from the University of Córdoba (Spain) has uncovered ancient sherry preserved in a rare form within a Roman tomb. The oldest wine in the world, discovered in the town of Carmona (Seville province), has been dated to the 1st century AD.
This wine was found in a burial urn containing cremated remains. However, this discovery is rich with other astonishing facts. Archaeochemical analysis identified the drink as white wine that has turned a reddish-brown color over the course of 2,000 years.
What the Researchers Learned
The submerged tomb containing the world’s oldest wine was first stumbled upon by a family in Carmona while digging in their backyard.
The tomb featured eight niches. Six of these housed burial urns made of limestone, sandstone, glass, or lead. Each urn contained the cremated remains of an individual along with various items typical of ancient Roman burial rituals. On two of the urns, researchers noted the names of the deceased: Hispanae and Senicio.
In the niche designated as number 8, the team discovered a glass jar for cremated remains. Inside, they found five liters of a brownish-red liquid, as reported by Arkeonews.
Analysis conducted by university chemists revealed that this liquid is an ancient wine similar to sherry. Once white wine, it transformed into a reddish-brown due to centuries of chemical reactions.
“The wine turned out to be very similar to local sherry-type wines from this part of Andalusia,” noted organic chemist José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola, who led the liquid analysis.
Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), scientists identified the mineral salt components of the wine. These included common elements found in old wines, such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Additionally, the researchers identified polyphenols typically present in grapes. The presence of these polyphenols and the mineral salt profile indicated that this was indeed a white wine of the sherry type.
The remarkable longevity of the wine in liquid form suggests sophisticated Roman methods of preservation and storage, as well as unique climatic conditions that allowed the drink to remain intact for nearly two millennia.
Prior to this discovery, the oldest known wine preserved in liquid form was a drink found in a bottle excavated in 1867 from a Roman tomb near the German city of Speyer, dated to 325 AD.
According to the research team, the use of wine in Roman burial rituals is well-known and documented. Often, after placing the cremated remains in the urn, it would be filled with a potent drink. This ritual of pouring wine was believed to ease the deceased’s transition to a better world.
The findings of this study were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.