Topic: Wine from 1682
A corked bottle of wine dating from 1682 was found last year in a cellar in Spitalfields, London, by the Museum of London Archaeology Service. Scientific tests preceded a formal wine tasting.
X-rays showed that the cork had preserved a perfect seal, and chemical analysis of the liquid showed it contained 6.25 per cent alcohol and tartaric acid, consistent with a grape wine. Sugar level was low suggesting a dry wine, and volatile acidity was also low suggesting the wine had not spoiled. The wine was eventually tasted by David Molyneux-Berry and Michael Broadbent, Masters of Wine for Sotheby’s and Christie’s respectively. Their verdict was that it was ‘fresh, clean, lively and well-balanced’ and was probably a dry madeira.
British Archaeology
February/2000
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