Wine connoisseur are in all probability familiar with Pétrus 2000 , a pricey Merlot that can fetch thousand and is so revered it ’s sometimesservedas its own course during dinner party outcome .
But even those who might not bat an optic at pop undefended an expensive bottle might hesitate at uncork a Pétrus that ’s been stored for over a year in space . It ’s got an asking price of over $ 1 million .
The bottle is presently forsaleby Christie ’s , and it promises to be both a unique conversation piece and an experimentation on the effects of zero - gravity on the vino market . An entire case ( 12 bottles ) of Pétrus was broadcast up to theInternational Space Stationin November 2019 on the Cygnus capsule by Space Cargo Unlimited , a start - up focused on study how constituent materials manage with the harsh environment of space . The bottles drop a total of 440 days off Earth , traveling the equivalent of 300 misstep to themoon , before touching down on the SpaceX Dragon trade in January 2021 .
Three of the 12 bottle were spread out for a vino tasting in March , with expert wine taster Jane Anson telling Atlas Obscura that the blank - elderly sample had a sure variety of flavor . “ I walked out of that room thinking , ‘ I do n’t recognise why there ’s a difference , but there ’s a difference , ’ ” she said .
To sweeten the deal , Christie ’s is offer the Pétrus in an elaborated package . It ’s housed in a custom torso , with a corkscrew crafted from a meteorite . A terrestrial bottle is also included .
The sale of the nursing bottle will help Space Cargo Unlimited fund future expeditions . For now , it ’s the only one going into private hands . The remain eight bottles will be appropriate for further work .
[ h / tAtlas Obscura ]
