Peruse the small print on nearly any wine bottle and it typically mentions “contains sulfites.” However, scientists examining a 2,000-year-old bottle discovered in Carmona, a village in southern Spain, might consider a more macabre label: “Contains the cremated remains of an ancient Roman.”
To give context, the wine was unearthed in a tomb, reflecting a time when Romans often mingled wine with human remains in burial rites. I think it is more to do with ashes being preserved in wine than some off the wall vintner trying to make a special recipe. It’s a rarity for such ancient burial offerings to survive millennia without falling prey to tomb raiders or simply perishing to the ravages of time.
“We were astonished to find liquid still preserved in one of the funerary urns,” noted archaeologist Juan Manuel Román from the Museum of the City in Carmona, during a press release that announced this remarkable find.
The intact urn was discovered in 2019. Initially, it wasn’t clear whether the urn still contained wine, or if another substance had infiltrated it over the centuries. The dry condition of surrounding urns suggested there had been no flooding or condensation.
Subsequent chemical tests revealed more. As documented in the Journal of Archaeological Science, the analysis showed the mineral salt makeup of the liquid closely mirrored that of modern fino wines from the region formerly known as Baetica. Fino, for note, is a type of dry white sherry. And is very nice…
Further testing for polyphenols, commonly found in today’s wines, provided additional clues to the urn’s contents. The findings confidently confirmed the presence of wine, specifically white wine, highlighted by traces of ethanol at very low levels. This aligns well with the mausoleum’s exceptionally preserved state.
The study suggests that the cremated remains were placed in the urn which was then filled with wine, likely as part of a libation ritual or burial rite intended to aid the deceased’s journey to the afterlife. One wonders if our roman ancestors had the equivalent phrase for “It is what would have wanted…” I just have “Hoc est quod voluissent…” it isn’t a keeper to be honest.
The investigation concluded that the reddish liquid in the urn was indeed wine, degraded over time, making it the oldest known wine discovered to date. This ancient tipple surpasses the previous record held by the Speyer wine bottle, found near the German city in 1867 and dating back to the 4th century. The Speyer bottle, which remains unopened, might still hold wine, though perhaps it is wise to let it age a bit longer, lets not rush these things
In conclusion, do I think that it is good idea to pour wine all over the ashes to ensure a jolly old afterlife…. Absolutely!