Twelve bottles of Petrus spent a few months on board the International Space Station, accompanied by a few vines. The tasting notes were unveiled this Wednesday at the town hall of Bordeaux. Result:weightlessness did not ruin the wine, and seemed to energize the plants.
A little over a year ago, the start-up Space Cargo Unlimited sent twelve bottles of Petrus 2000 aboard the international space station, along with 320 vine plants . This experiment was part of a longer-term effort to make plants more resistant to climate change and disease by exposing them to new stresses, but also to better understand the wine aging process .
One of these precious beverages returned to Earth last January and has just been tested by twelve experts. The latter went there blind, comparing this wine to a bottle of the same vintage that had stayed in a cellar. The two bottles were gently uncorked at the Bordeaux Wine and Vine Research Institute. The experts sniffed solemnly, stared, and finally sipped these two liquors.
The first question was whether the space wine had survived its trip to space? The answer is yes. Second question:are there any differences with wine left on Earth? Again the answer is yes. Jane Anson, one of the tasters, mentions in particular "tannins a little silkier, a little more evolved ", as well as "a bit more floral notes “.
“With my experience of Petrus 2000, I can even say that I would have given this space-traveling wine two or three more years “, she explains. "Of course it was only one bottle, there are more tests to be done, but that's how I felt “.
More generally researchers said that each of the twelve panelists had an individual reaction. Some observed orange reflections, while others evoked aromas of dried leather or inhaled the smell of campfire. In any case, everyone agreed on one thing:both wines were very good !
This work is still preliminary, but it could pave the way for growing grapes and winemaking in space. This nascent industry "is driven by the desire of American entrepreneurs and large American, Chinese, global agencies to go to the Moon, to go to Mars “, emphasizes Nicolas Gaume, co-founder of Space Cargo Unlimited, who organized this experience.
Vine extracts meanwhile not only also survived the trip , but have also grown faster than vines on Earth , despite limited access to water and light. Once researchers figure out why, they can develop more robust terrestrial vines .
