ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Videos
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
The world's oldest bottle of wine is still probably okay to drink
Home>News
Published 20:13 27 Apr 2023 GMT+1

The world's oldest bottle of wine is still probably okay to drink

Would you, though?

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Let me set the scene: it's getting late, you're out of booze and the corner shop's closed.

So you desperately search your fridge and raid your cupboards, looking for any drop of alcohol you can lay your hands on to get you through the night.

It's a bleak picture I think we can all relate to. Or maybe I'm alone in that.

Usually, it ends up with me you stumbling across some obscure liquor your aunt and uncle got you from their trip to Tenerife a couple of years back.

Advert

Well, while past its best booze is never ideal, it's got nothing on the Römerwein, which dates back over 1,650 years.

Yeah, that's certainly enough to make you think twice before taking a swig.

The Römerwein dates back to the 4th century.
Immanuel Giel

The priceless bottle of plonk was brewed in the 4th century at some point between 325 and 359 CE, experts believe.

To put that into some contest, that was about 600,000 days ago.

It was one of 16 such bottles - the only in tact, mind - discovered in 1867 during the excavation of a Roman nobleman and noblewoman's tomb in what is now Germany, in the city of Speyer.

And by the looks of the bottle's current state, it's certainly seen better days.

However, there is a reason for this. As well as being incredibly old, back then people would use olive oil to preserve wine, sealing it from outside air.

As such, what's left of the wine now is a clear, non-alcoholic liquid, and a solid rosin-like substance.

Now, with that in mind, what would it take for you to take a sip, and what, if anything, would happen to you if you did?

Grab yourself a glass.
WHPics/Alamy

The bottle has been on display at the Pfalz Historical Museum for over one hundred years, with experts wondering whether they should try it out.

For obvious reasons, they have never followed through on the idea, largely due to the fact the liquid would most likely not survive in the atmosphere because of its age.

But they do say that if one was to have a sip, while it would taste bloody awful, it probably wouldn't kill you.

Wine professor Monika Christmann said: "Micro-biologically it is probably not spoiled, but [as you can tell based on its appearance] it would not bring joy to the palate."

And there's not much worse than a joyless wine, no one needs that, do they?

Featured Image Credit: dpa picture alliance archive/Alamy
Dominic Smithers
Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

X

@SmithersDom

Recommended reads

Body language expert reveals meaning behind Donald Trump's unusual behaviour during World Cup trophy presentationDan Mullan/Getty ImagesMan who 'predicted Covid' and 2008 financial crash issues haunting warning about AI to world leadersPeston/XJosh Duhamel, 53, reveals moment he knew he was 'too old' for his wifeFREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty ImagesDonald Trump's message to every Spain and Argentina player revealed by lip readerJean Catuffe/Getty Images

Advert

Choose your content:

23 mins ago
2 hours ago
  • Dan Mullan/Getty Images
    23 mins ago

    Body language expert reveals meaning behind Donald Trump's unusual behaviour during World Cup trophy presentation

    He got his hands on the trophy and hung around afterwards

    News
  • Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
    2 hours ago

    Donald Trump's message to every Spain and Argentina player revealed by lip reader

    One footballer appeared to snub the POTUS' handshake during the presentation

    News
  • Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images
    2 hours ago

    Andy Burnham set to announce new cost of living measures as he pledges to end rough sleeping

    He said he'd announce some measures to help with the cost of living 'starting tomorrow'

    News
  • FIFA/YouTube
    2 hours ago

    Fan footage shows true reality of World Cup half time show after claims it was AI generated

    This is what thousands of dollars buys you...

    News
  • People are ditching their evening glass of wine for ‘calming’ viral TikTok drink
  • One of world's richest men donates huge reward to Bondi Beach hero
  • Haunting past of ‘world's most infected island' full of human skulls that is less than a mile away from UK coast
  • Reason world's best women’s tennis player had smaller court than male opponent in 'battle of the sexes'