In the vast and boundless universe, humanity’s steps of exploration have never ceased. And in this unknown territory, there is not only the magnificence of the starry sky and the ocean, but also a wonderful experiment about fine wine. Have you ever imagined how a bottle of wine or whisky from Earth would transform in the microgravity and radiation environment of space?
Interstellar Aging: The Space Adventure of Petrus
At the beginning of 2021, a shocking piece of news spread through the wine world – 12 bottles of the renowned right-bank Bordeaux wine Chateau Petrus, which had been “aged” for a year on the International Space Station, returned to Earth aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX spacecraft. This unprecedented experiment was initiated by a group of scientists who were curious about the chemical changes in wine, eager to understand what kind of magical transformations would occur in the extreme environment of space.
When this batch of space-aged Petrus was blind-tasted alongside the same vintage of its Earth-bound counterpart by 12 wine experts, the results were astonishing. Most of the experts believed that the space version of Petrus seemed to be two to three years older in terms of taste, with its color, aroma and flavor all showing more mature characteristics. Some even described it as having “a hint of rose petal and campfire on the palate”. This discovery undoubtedly opens a door to the unknown for the wine world.
Historical Precedent: A Space Journey from Lynch-Bages to Sassicaia
However, Chateau Petrus was not the first bottle of wine to embark on a space journey. As early as 1985, a bottle of wine from Chateau Lynch-Bages, a second growth chateau on the left bank of Bordeaux, had already been sent into space as part of NASA’s space shuttle program. Although the original intention of this trip was not to study the aging changes of wine, it unexpectedly opened the door to space experiments with wine.
Coincidentally, the renowned Italian winery Sassicaia also sent its wine to space in 2005 to investigate the impact of the space environment on the flavor of wine. These pioneers’ bold attempts not only demonstrated humanity’s curiosity and spirit of exploration towards the unknown world but also laid a solid foundation for subsequent wine space experiments.
The Space Aging Experiment of Whisky: Ardbeg’s Interstellar Adventure
If the space journey of wine can be described as a romantic encounter, then the space aging experiment of whisky is a bold adventure. In 2011, the innovative whisky brand Ardbeg carried out a “space aging experiment”, sending a batch of raw liquor to the International Space Station. It took more than three years for it to return to Earth.
It is said that the whisky that has undergone the space journey has a more intense peat flavor, as if it has absorbed some mysterious power from the universe. This discovery not only excites whisky enthusiasts but also inspires scientists to conduct in-depth research on the impact of the space environment on the aging of spirits.
Champagne’s Space Dream: Mumm’s Unique Design
In this interstellar wine tour, the French champagne house Mumm also made its contribution. They developed a champagne with a unique ring design at the bottle mouth. This design enables the poured wine to form foam that does not scatter everywhere, making it convenient to drink in a zero-gravity environment.
Imagine this: in space, astronauts hold this champagne, gently press the cork, and strings of fine bubbles slowly float in the zero-gravity environment, as if toasting to humanity’s interstellar exploration. However, whether this champagne is eventually uncorked and enjoyed in space, only those astronauts fortunate enough to carry out the mission can reveal the answer.
From Chateau Petrus to Ardbeg, from Lynch-Bages to Sassicaia, and even Mumm’s champagne, the extraordinary journey of these fine wines in space not only showcases humanity’s spirit of exploration into the unknown but also reveals the fascinating changes that wines and spirits undergo in extreme environments.
Although scientists are still unaware of the specific reasons for these changes at present, it is precisely these unknowns and curiosities that drive humanity to keep moving forward and explore more uncharted territories. Perhaps one day in the future, we will be able to taste more wines that have been aged in space and experience their unique charm and flavor.
