French wine that has spent more than a year in orbit on the International Space Station could fetch $ 1 million at auction, UK news

A bottle of wine that orbited Earth on the International Space Station for more than a year was put up for sale.

The French wine called Petrus 2000 is one of 12 bottles that were sent into space in November 2019 by researchers hoping to learn more about the potential of “alien agriculture”.

The wine returned 14 months later, with the taste slightly altered, according to experts, but delicious.

Now the bottle of wine, which originally had a price of $ 10,000, is said to be up for sale at Christie’s auction house. Staff believe a connoisseur could pay up to $ 1 million to own it.

Christie’s international director of wine and spirits, Tim Tiptree, said space-age wine was matured on board the ISS “in a unique environment” with near-zero gravity.

Known for its complexity, the wine has aromas of black cherry, cigar box, and leather, said Mr Tiptree.

“It’s just a very harmonious wine that can age excellently, which is why it was chosen for this experiment,” he said.

“It is very encouraging that it was delicious when we returned to Earth.”

The wine reached stratospheric levels after being launched into orbit by private space startup Space Cargo Unlimited.

The researchers wanted to develop a better understanding of the aging process, fermentation and bubbles in wine.

In a blind taste test in March at the Institute for Wine and Wine Research in Bordeaux, 12 connoisseurs compared a bottle of space wine with the same vintage that had been left in a cellar.

They described a difference in taste – but said it was difficult to describe.

One expert said the wine left on earth tasted a little younger – while the version in space was “softer and more aromatic”.

Christie’s will hold a private auction for the space wine, which includes a terrestrial bottle of the same vintage for comparison, as well as a carafe, glasses and a corkscrew carved from a meteorite.

Everything is displayed in a hand-carved wooden case with a decoration inspired by the “Star Trek” universe and the science fiction author Jules Verne.

Other bottles of the dozen that have traveled into space remain unopened and there are no plans to sell them, Christie’s said.

Mr. Tiptree added, “I would hope they decide to drink it, but maybe not right away.

“It’s at the height of drinking, but this wine is likely to last for at least two or three decades.”