International auction house Christie’s will sell a very unusual wine in their upcoming auction! A bottle of space-aged Pétrus 2000 wine, which has spent 14 months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
This is the first time wine has travelled to the ISS and returned to Earth, ageing in a carefully monitored and controlled environment. On November 2nd, 2019, Space Cargo Unlimited, in partnership with Thales Alenia Space and Nanoracks, sent 12 bottles of wine to the ISS for 14 months aboard a Cygnus capsule (Northrop Grumman). These bottles were sent back to Earth on January 14th, 2021, aboard the Dragon spacecraft (SpaceX).
This was part of a series of experiments undertaken by Space Cargo Unlimited, a one-of-a-kind European ‘New Space’ start-up.
This was the first privately-led research program, which over the course of six experiments, seeks to find out how plants adapt to the stress of space conditions. The data can help develop innovative solutions for the future of food and agriculture on Earth.
This bottle is being offered in a unique trunk, imagined and handcrafted by the Parisian Maison d’Arts Les Ateliers Victor, alongside a bottle of terrestrial Pétrus 2000, decanter, glasses and a corkscrew made from a meteorite!
As per scientists and researchers, this wine has remarkable differences in colour, aroma and taste and the wines sampled were commended for their complexity and considered to be great wines.
The proceeds of the sale will go towards funding future space missions. This offers collectors an opportunity to acquire a piece of vinous and space history while also contributing to ongoing research.