In 1867, while excavating the 4th-century tomb of a Roman noble near the city of Speyer, scientists discovered 16 glass jars inside the tomb. Among them, there is only one bottle intact.
Currently, a wine jar dating back 1650 years is on display at the Palatinate History Museum, Speyer, Germany. For years, scientists have fiercely debated whether or not to open this ancient wine bottle.
According to scientists, this yellow-green glass vase with a capacity of 1.5 liters, with a dolphin-shaped handle, was locally produced between 325 and 350 AD. It is considered the oldest wine decanter in the world.
The solution inside the bottle separates into 2 separate parts, the top is a yellow-brown mixture like colofan resin, the bottom of the bottle is a transparent liquid layer. Since production until now, the jar is sealed with beeswax.
In the ancient tomb, this wine jar was found with two sarcophagi containing the remains of a male and a female. According to scientists, the man may have been a prominent Roman aristocrat, and the flask was prepared for this man’s journey to heaven.
Despite being very curious, so far no scientist has dared to open this ancient wine bottle that has been tightly closed for more than 1600 years.
According to Ludger Tekampe, curator of wines at the museum, “We can’t be sure if the wine can withstand the shock of being exposed to air?”
Professor of wine Monika Christman said that microbiologically, the wine in this antique vase is likely not spoiled, but it will no longer irritate the taste buds.