Wow, Vintage Wine! The Luckiest Spring Cleaning Ever
Doris de Luna
Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Champagne, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Who could resist the world's best wines?
Since ancient times, these intoxicating products from grapes have been part of mankind's great history and celebrations. Even though France is the most renowned for its wineries, wine-making actually began in China around 7,000 BC. Fruit wine, rice wine, and honey wine (mead) were produced through fermentation by the ancient tribes of Jiahu in the Yellow River basin of Henan Province. Then, these products were stored in earthen jars to be enjoyed as they aged.
Photo: YouTube/LaithwaitesThen, in 6,100 BC, Armenia followed suit, and a century later, Georgia, which up to today produces wine in Kvevri -- clay vessels that were the very first containers to be used in fermenting wines.
Based on archaeological records, ancient wine-making facilities were also found in Iran, Israel, Egypt, Greece, Sicily, and Cypress. According to archaeologist Gregory Areshian of the University of California, Los Angeles, who made excavations in an Armenian cave as published in National Geographic, Copper Age vintners "pressed their wine the old-fashioned way, using their feet...juice from the trampled grapes drained into the vat, where it was left to ferment. The wine was then stored in jars — the cool, dry conditions of the cave would have made a perfect wine cellar."
Photo: YouTube/LaithwaitesWell, we are now in the 21st century, and this married couple from the Hills area of Sydney made a precious find right under their house while spring cleaning -- vintage wines! Ten bottles of them, about 50 years old!
According to Newsweek, where this Reddit story was also published, the items were Wynns Huntersfield Hermitage wine that date back to 1969. This kind of wine is an Australian Shiraz that's produced in the Coonawarra region that's famed for its terra rossa soils and Mediterranean climate.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wine/comments/1226wss/i_just_found_10_bottles_of_50_year_old_wine_under/
The finders were not sure if the wines were still good since some of the bottles looked stuffy. But they were crossing their fingers on the value of the good ones. Old wines can command a high price, depending on their age and condition.
"We are going to try one this weekend and see what it is like," the wife told Newsweek. "We saw a couple of other boxes under there, so we are going on a treasure hunt this weekend."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJnHLdGxhlc
