World’s oldest bottle of wine still considered drinkable.
It may date back to the time of Constantine the Great and when the Church of the Nativity was built in Bethlehem, but the year 325 vintage sitting in a German museum could be palatable, according to wine professor Monika Christmann.
While the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer has no immediate plans to crack open the 1.5-litre bottle any time soon, despite considering doing so a decade ago, it appears it would be safe to do so. However, if the liquid was drunk, it is unlikely to taste anything like wine, despite being potentially safe to consume.
According to Professor Christmann, “Microbiologically it is probably not spoiled, but it would not bring joy to the palate.”
The reasons behind the wine’s longevity is the wax seal and the large amount of olive oil intended to preserve the wine. The ‘wine’ is likely to comprise a mix of local grape varieties, herbs and olive oil, with the bottle discovered near the city of Speyer in 1867.
