London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 31, 2025

French wine that spent more than a year in orbit on International Space Station could fetch $1m at auction

French wine that spent more than a year in orbit on International Space Station could fetch $1m at auction

The wine, named Petrus 2000, was one of 12 bottles sent into space in November 2019 and tastes "delicious", experts say.

A bottle of wine that spent more than a year orbiting Earth on the International Space Station has been put up for sale.

The French wine, named Petrus 2000, is one of 12 bottles sent into space in November 2019 by researchers hoping to learn more about the potential for "extra-terrestrial agriculture".

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

Twelve wine connoisseurs took part in a blind tasting of the wine in southwestern France


Now the bottle of wine, originally priced at $10,000, is to go on sale at Christie's auction house - where staff believe a connoisseur could pay as much as $1m to own it.

International director of Christie's wine and spirits department, Tim Tiptree, said the space-aged wine had been "matured in a unique environment" of close to zero gravity aboard the ISS.

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

"It's just a very harmonious wine that has the ability to age superbly, which is why it was chosen for this experiment," he said.

"It's very encouraging that it was delicious on return to Earth."

The wine reached stratospheric levels after being sent into orbit by private space start-up, Space Cargo Unlimited.

Researchers aimed to develop a better understanding of the ageing process, fermentation and bubbles in wine.

January 2021: SpaceX's Dragon undocking from ISS with 12 bottles of Bordeaux wine and hundreds of snippets of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon


At a blind taste test in March at the Institute for Wine and Vine Research in Bordeaux, 12 connoisseurs compared a bottle of space wine to the same vintage that had remained in a cellar.

They described a difference in taste - but said it was hard to describe.

One expert said the wine that remained on Earth tasted a bit younger - while the space-aged version was "softer and more aromatic".

Experts say the space-aged wine is 'delicious'


Christie's will host a private auction for the space wine, which comes with a terrestrial bottle of the same vintage for comparison, together with a decanter, glasses and a corkscrew carved from a meteorite.

It will all be displayed in a hand-carved wooden trunk with decoration inspired by "Star Trek" universe, as well as science fiction author Jules Verne.

Other bottles from the dozen that travelled to space remain unopened and there are no plans to sell them, Christie's said.

Mr Tiptree added: "I would hope that they will decide to drink it, but maybe not immediately.

"It's at its peak drinking, but this wine will last probably another at least another two or three decades."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
×