For wine that has reached new heights, you can expect an equally lofty price tag.
One of the 12 bottles of Pétrus 2000 that were aged in space for just over a year is being offered by Christie’s in a private sale for a reported price of up to $1 million. As of now, it appears there are no plans to sell any of the other bottles of space wine, but those interested in an earthly version of the same vintage will only need to shell out around $6,000 to $7,500.
The bottles were sent into the ether by the private startup Space Cargo Unlimited. The experiment was part of the company’s long-term efforts to make plants on Earth more resilient to climate change by exposing them to the stresses of space’s atmosphere. The researchers also aimed to study the process of aging wine.
Upon the bottles’ return to Earth this March after their 14-month odyssey, they were sampled by a panel of 12 wine experts. The tasters dolled out glowing reviews, praising the wines for their softened tannins and floral aromatics — properties they claimed to be characteristic of older wines.
Christie’s began offering the wine in a private sale on Tuesday. The extraterrestrial bottle is being sold alongside its Earth-dwelling match of the same vintage (should the buyer want to compare the two), glasses, a decanter, and a corkscrew made from a meteorite. The bundle is packaged in a wooden trunk adorned with a decoration that’s inspired by science fiction writer Jules Verne and the “Star Trek” franchise.
The proceeds from the hefty price tag will fund future research by Space Cargo Unlimited. So if you have an extra milli burning a hole in your pocket, and want to help finance another space expedition, there’s a couple of bottles of vino in it for you. At least one of them will taste out of this world.
