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The wine in the glass urn. Credit: Juan Manuel Román The oldest wine ever discovered, originating from Andalusia, is a white wine over 2,000 years old. A 2019 excavation in Carmona revealed the oldest wine ever discovered, preserved in a man’s tomb for 2,000 years, highlighting significant aspects of Roman funerary rituals and societal gender norms. In 2019, a Roman tomb in Carmona was uncovered, revealing the remains of six individuals—Hispana, Senicio, two other men, and two women, whose names remain unknown. These inhabitants from 2,000 years ago likely never envisioned their funerary rituals gaining significance in the modern era....

A tourist in Florence, Italy has sparked outrage and criticism recently after she was filmed simulating an insulting sexual act with a Roman statue. The statue was that of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and excess, the equivalent to the Greek god Dionysus. This incident, totally insulting to the Italians and to everyone who admires the Roman world, took place near the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge of the beautiful Italian metropolis. Florence statue incident condemned as insulting act of tourist Images of the woman who allegedly committed the insulting act on the statue in Florence have been circulating on...

This is such a buzz kill. As it turns out, consuming just one alcoholic beverage per day — whether it be a pint of beer, a glass of wine or a shot of your favorite spirit — can shorten your lifespan by approximately two-and-a-half months, one expert asserts Dr. Tim Stockwell, of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, told Daily Mail that those who drink significantly more alcohol than that — about 35 beverages a week — could slash a staggering two years off their lifespan. It’s a rude awakening for those who might like to unwind with a...

Those who enjoy wine may have prehistoric reptiles to thank for today's beverages The earliest fossil grape from the Western Hemisphere is approximately 60 million years old, scientists discovered. A group of scientists with Chicago's Field Museum recently discovered grape fossil seeds that could connect dinosaurs to today's numerous wine offerings. The South America study found nine new species of fossil grapes dating back to at least 19 million years ago — with the oldest one found in a 60-million-year-old rock. Dr. Fabiany Herrera, assistant curator of paleobotany at The Field Museum, led the study. The discovery proved that grapes...

Scientists have found that wild chimpanzees use plants with healing properties to treat themselves. They conducted their research in Uganda’s forests, carefully observing injured or sick animals to determine if they were using plants as medicine. When they noticed an injured chimp eating a specific plant, they collected samples for analysis. They discovered that many of these plants have properties that fight bacteria. The researchers, who shared their discoveries in the journal PLOS One, believe that studying chimpanzees could lead to the development of additional medications. Dr. Elodie Freymann, the lead researcher from the University of Oxford, highlighted the challenge...

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.

Prosecco is Italy's answer to champagne—a white sparkling wine that's available from dry to semi-sweet. Prosecco has protected status to ensure quality and is only produced in the Veneto region in northeast Italy. The bright and effervescent wine features flavors of melon, pear, and honeysuckle, and is lovely for toasts, sipping, pairing with foods, and making cocktails. It is relatively low in alcohol.

Confidence in the British wine industry is at an all-time high with the UK Government pledging new funding of £1.5 million to complement its rapid growth. On Tuesday, April 16, Steve Barclay, the Environment Secretary, unveiled significant new financial backing for the wine sector during the annual WineGB conference at Plumpton College in East Sussex. This support aims to propel the ongoing success of the rapidly growing English and Welsh wine industry. British wine employment figures The government has allocated £1.5 million this year for the Future Winemakers’ Scheme (FWS). This initiative will concentrate on education, training, and upskilling opportunities,...

National Beer Day is celebrated every year on April 7th. This unofficial holiday was first celebrated in 2009 via social media activity by a man named Justin Smith. Shortly after, a beer drinking app called Untappd created a National Beer Day badge that was awarded to users. And the hashtag has been trending on social media ever since. But why April 7th? National Beer Day will be celebrated on Sunday, April 7, 2024. New Beer’s Eve is Saturday, April 6, 2024. April 7th was selected as National Beer Day because it marks the date that the Cullen-Harrison Act went into...

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — A possible moonshine cave has been discovered under the stands at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, according to a statement released by the NWS on Tuesday. During cleaning and inspection last week, staff noticed cracks in concrete in section N. Crews began removing seats to evaluate damage and repair needs. “When we began renovating and restoring North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2022, we’d often hear stories of how an old moonshine still was operated here on the property under the grandstands,” said Steve Swift, senior vice president of operations and development at Speedway Motorsports. “Well, we haven’t...

It turns out space helmets serve a dual purpose - to keep air in and stink out. Just like Earth, the universe emits various smells from every corner of the never-ending universe, often of which are generally unpleasant, Space.com reported, citing numerous space expeditions over the decades. Although it is impossible to take a whiff of the cosmos without facing certain death, astronauts have long described strong odors clinging to their space suits after they return to their air-locked chambers. Metallic, burnt meat Those aboard the Apollo moon landings described the scent as gunpowder-like, while others who traversed the International...

Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a 1,600-year-old wine shop that was destroyed and abandoned after a "sudden event," possibly an earthquake or building collapse, left broken vessels and 60 coins scattered on the floor, according to new research.The shop operated at a time when the Roman Empire controlled the region. It was found in the ancient city of Sikyon (also spelled Sicyon), which is located on the northern coast of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. Within the wine shop, archaeologists found the scattered coins, as well as the remains of marble tabletops and vessels made of bronze, glass and ceramic.The...

It's no secret that the ancient Romans were lovers of wine. So gripped by the grape were they, that they even worshiped a god—Bacchus—devoted to wine and merriment.But, little is known about what their wine actually tasted like. Was it bitter or sweet? Fruity or earthy? According to a pioneering new study, it was rather spicy and smelled like toast...By comparing these vessels, which have long been overlooked, to similar containers used in modern wine-making, researchers were able to demystify the ancient flavors and the processes that created them.The findings "change much of our current understanding of Roman winemaking," researchers,...

On the bank of a picturesque river in southern France sat a collection of ancient ruins. A buried cellar and empty pools are all that remain of a Roman-era winery.Archaeologists found the ruined winery in Laveyron during excavations for a factory's parking lot, the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) said in a Nov. 30 news release.The large-scale winemaking operation was built in the first century A.D. and probably produced drinks for ancient Romans...On either side of the platform, archaeologists found basins where the grape juice was collected...The basins were in turn linked to two larger rooms that...

And they aren't even done exploring the massive space.The tomb of Queen Meret-Neith, an Egyptian royal who was most likely the most powerful woman of her era — if not the first female pharaoh — was discovered by archaeologists well over a century ago, but there are still mysteries surrounding both her and her burial site. A team of German and Austrian archaeologists organized by the University of Vienna are currently excavating her sprawling, complicated tomb, and they’ve already made some surprising discoveries. Including lots and lots of wine. Earlier this month, the team revealed that they had unearthed...

A German-Austrian team led by archaeologist Christiana Köhler from the University of Vienna is investigating the tomb of Queen Meret-Neith in Abydos, Egypt. She was the most powerful woman in the period around 3,000 BC. Recent excavations prove her special historical significance: the researchers found 5,000-year-old wine and other grave goods. This fuels speculation that Meret-Neith was the first pharaoh of ancient Egypt and predecessor of the later Queen Hatshepsut....Her true identity remains a mystery...The archaeological team found evidence of a huge amount of grave goods, including hundreds of large wine jars. Some of them were very well preserved and...

Humans have extensively shaped animals and plants through domestication. Although wine and table grapes have been important culturally for thousands of years, their origin has been difficult to pinpoint because of uneven sampling of modern cultivars. In new research, geneticists from Yunnan Agricultural University and elsewhere analyzed genetic data from 3,525 cultivated and wild grape varieties from around the world.

...Warmer temperatures and more humidity may have helped the forests in the region grow and expand north into present-day Siberia. The theory hinges on the presence of pollen in the region's sediment record...It is also likely that both warm and cold climates would have played a role in this travel. The Pleistocene Epoch is known for huge climatic shifts...To piece together what the climate could have looked like during a possible warm period about 45,000 to 50,000 years ago, researchers working on the study created a record of the vegetation and pollen from the Pleistocene found around Lake Baikal in...

An engineer was conducting a regular survey of the Mediterranean Sea off Egypt's coast when he noticed something in the water.It turned out to be a 2,300-year-old shipwreck, according to an Aug. 5 news release from Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.The ancient ship was discovered less than a half-mile off the coast of El-Alamein — which was an important commercial region during the third century BC, Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in the release. The find gives more insight into Egypt's role as a center for trade, economy and tourism in ancient times.Archaeologists...

On its website, California wine company Ocean Fathoms praises the waters of the Santa Barbara channel as “the perfect environment” for aging its wines. “[T]he set of special characteristics of the Channel Islands’ environment gives Ocean Fathoms a superior product,” the company claims, before praising the abundant underwater flora and fauna that attach itself to each bottle. In 2017, Ocean Fathoms started to submerge specially designed crates of its wine in the channel, and when the bottles were retrieved 12 months later, they were sold for up to $500 each. The problem — and this is a significant one —...