Now that’s a vintage! Archaeologists discover ‘world’s oldest’ wine while excavating Roman tomb in Spain – 2,000-year-old tipple found in burial urn mixed with human remains

The 2000-year-old tipple was found in a burial urn mixed with cremated human remains.

Discovered in Carmona in the southern region of Andalusia, the wine is believed to be the oldest ever found and was preserved in liquid form.

Analysis of the liquid inside the urn concluded that it was white wine despite its dark colour, as it did not contain the polyphenols found in grape skins used to produce red wine.

In a report published about the discovery, scientists added that the liquid was similar to the Fino wines produced in the same region today.

Juan Manuel Román, an archaeologist and co-author of the report regarding the wine published in Journal of Archaeological Science said: ‘It was very surprising because when we found the urns during an excavation, we took it for granted that they contained bones and grave goods, but we never imagined that there could be liquid inside’.

Analysis of the liquid inside the urn concluded that it was white wine despite its dark colour, as it did not contain the polyphenols found in grape skins used to produce red wine

A gold ring was also found in the dark reddish liquid which was filled to the urn’s brim (pictured)

The cremated remains found in the wine are believed to belong to a 45-year-old man, according to expert analysis.

A gold ring was also found in the dark reddish liquid which was filled to the urn’s brim.

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.

The use of wine was a common custom in ancient Roman burials, with experts suggesting that the wine would have been a part of a ritual to help the deceased move onto the afterlife.

However, the practice of mixing remains with wine has until now been unprecedented, with no other wines having been so well preserved for 2000 years