Wine news Oldest vines Discovered July 2012
'Oldest wine' discovered in China
- Monday 9 July 2012
- by Decanter.com staff
- Comments
A 3000-year-old wine is thought to have been discovered in China, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Image shows wine vessels with square 'prohibition device' under them
Archeologists working found what appears to be liquid in a bronze wine vessel unearthed from a nobleman's tomb on Shigushan Mountain in Baoji city in Shaanxi province.
The tomb belongs to the Zhou Dynasty of 1046 BC - 771 BC, and the liquid is likely to be the oldest wine discovered in China, project leader Liu Jun, director of the Baoji Archaeology Institute said.
Liu said the vessel, one of six discovered in the tomb, could be heard to contain liquid when it was shaken, but it they had not yet been able to open it.
It is understood that the liquid inside the vessel is possibly alcohol but not necessarily wine.
According to reports, the most crucial discovery in the tomb is actually a square, table-like ‘prohibition device’ to remind people to drink in moderation since during the Shang Dynasty, which preceded Zhou Dynasty, wine became a symbol of corruption and excess.
Archeologists working found what appears to be liquid in a bronze wine vessel unearthed from a nobleman's tomb on Shigushan Mountain in Baoji city in Shaanxi province.
The tomb belongs to the Zhou Dynasty of 1046 BC - 771 BC, and the liquid is likely to be the oldest wine discovered in China, project leader Liu Jun, director of the Baoji Archaeology Institute said.
Liu said the vessel, one of six discovered in the tomb, could be heard to contain liquid when it was shaken, but it they had not yet been able to open it.
It is understood that the liquid inside the vessel is possibly alcohol but not necessarily wine.
According to reports, the most crucial discovery in the tomb is actually a square, table-like ‘prohibition device’ to remind people to drink in moderation since during the Shang Dynasty, which preceded Zhou Dynasty, wine became a symbol of corruption and excess.
