
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 one discovered and was kept in liquid state for preservation.
The examination of the liquid within the urn determined that it was actually white wine, even though it had a dark color, because it lacked the polyphenols present in grape skins which are responsible for making 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 study on the wine featured in the Journal of Archaeological Science, commented: "We were quite astonished since, upon discovering the urns during our dig, we assumed they would hold remains and funeral offerings as expected. However, the notion that liquids might still be present within them never crossed our minds."



Experts believe that the ashes discovered in the wine likely belonged to a 45-year-old male.
In addition, a golden ring was discovered within the dark reddish fluid that filled the urn to its very top.
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 ancient Roman funerals, where scholars believe it was used as part of a ceremony aimed at assisting the departed spirit transition into the next life.
Nevertheless, the tradition of blending wines as such has never before been documented, with no other beverages maintaining their quality for as long as two millennia.
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