Oldest known Roman wine

The oldest known Roman wine is dating back to the 4th century CE. The 1.5-liter bottle was found in the tomb of the Roman nobleman in present-day Germany.

In the tomb there were two sarcophagi: for a woman and a man. It was determined that the man was a Roman legionary. The wine was put with the dead for the purposes of a “heavenly journey”. Six glass bottles and ten dishes were found in the tomb, where only one bottle contained liquor. The bottle is full in 2/3, and the liquid has a pure form of the color of rosin. Although the liquor lost a large proportion of ethanol, the researchers managed to confirm that it is Roman wine, diluted with a mixture of herbs.

The wine has survived to our times, thanks to the large amount of dense olive oil added to the bottle and hot wax as a vessel sealant.