The Oldest Wine on Earth?

France’s picturesque town of Strasbourg is considered the capital of the Alsace wine region, famous for its exquisite, highly aromatic white wines like Riesling and Gewurztraminer. It also is home to possibly the oldest wine in the world!

Resting in an old cellar underneath the Hospices de Strasbourg is a wine that has been around since before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Deep in this cellar, originally built in the 1300s but recently renovated in 1994, is a barrel that is still filled with wine from 1472.

The vat it is held in is designed in the ancient, more almond-like shape—and the vat is technically called a “foudre.” Foudres were once popular throughout France and are significantly larger than oak barrels, filling 2,000-12,000 liters. This minimizes oak extraction and allows less oxidation due to the thickness of the staves, thus preserving vineyard character better than oak barrels. However, because of their heftier price and higher maintenance they are not used as often as they once were.

Was 1472 a good year? Well, it was the year Amsterdam prohibited snowball fights and Leonardo da Vinci was proclaimed a master in Florence’s “Company of Artists.” But as for wine? Well, that’s hard to say at this point.

Currently, the wine vat can be viewed but is protectively behind gated bars for security reasons. There have been very few tastings in its history—once in the 1500s, once more in the 1700s and the last tasting was by General Leclerc in 1944 upon the liberation of Strasbourg during World War II.

That said, we do know that the wine is a white Alsatian wine with a 9.4 percent alcohol content, a complex nose and flavorful aromas that include eucalyptus, clove, coconut and thyme. Experts have taken samples over the years with modern analysis tools to make these discoveries.

While you are unlikely to sneak a taste of this particular wine, you can enjoy a visit to the wine cellar and museum while visiting Strasbourg. Follow up your visit with a tasting of the region’s sublime wines while toasting to its wonderful history!

Join us on one of our incredible culinary and wine cruises on the Rhine River! Admire the steeply terraced vineyards from your elegant floating hotel while learning about the people, history and traditions behind the wine. Learn more here.