The ancient beverage, dating back 2000 years, was discovered alongside cremated remains inside a burial urn.
Found in Carmona within the southern Andalusian region, this wine is considered to be the most ancient ever discovered and was kept in liquid form.
The examination of the liquid within the urn determined that it was actually white wine, even though it had a dark color. This conclusion was drawn because the liquid lacked the polyphenols present in grape skins, which are typically utilized for making red wine.
In a report detailing the finding, researchers noted that the liquid bore resemblance to contemporary Fino wines from the area.
Juan Manuel Román, an archaeologist and co-author of the study on the wine featured in the Journal of Archaeological Science, commented: “We were quite astonished since, upon discovering the jars during our dig, we assumed they held typical contents like bones and burial items. It never crossed our minds that these containers might have liquids preserved within them.”
Experts believe that the ashes discovered within the wine likely belonged to a 45-year-old male.
In addition, a golden ring was discovered within the dark reddish fluid that had completely filled the urn.
The Roman mausoleum in Carmona was discovered in 2019 during the renovation of a house and contained funeral urns alongside the remains of a man and a woman.
Wine played a typical role in burial practices during ancient Rome, where scholars believe it was used as part of rituals intended to aid the departed spirit’s journey into the afterworld.
Nevertheless, the tradition of blending wines as such has never before been observed, with no other beverages maintaining their quality for as long as two millennia.
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