What's the oldest wine in the world?

Today, Comptoir des Millésimes, your specialist for old vintages on the Internet, we invite you to discover the world's oldest wine and the complete ranking of the 7 oldest bottles of wine. Find a price estimateA photo of each bottle is included, as well as a description of the origin, the year and the little anecdotes not to be missed about these extremely rare nuggets.

You can also find our rare wines and old vintages on the site! 100% in stock, ready to ship, with delivery within 24/48h depending on your preferences.

 

> Order old vintages from stock

 

 The TOP 7 oldest wines in the world

 

• TOP 7: Château Lafite Rothschild 1787

Estimated price: $156 450 or €137,580

The bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild 1787 was auctioned at Christie's of London "in 1985. It is one of most expensive bottles of wine ever sold at 156,450 $ (€137,580.57). The reason for such a high price is that, although it had no label, this bottle bore the initials " Th.J" suggesting that the wine had belonged to Thomas Jefferson.

Michael Broadbentthe head of the wine department at Christie's "At the time of the auction, Jefferson consulted the auction house's glass experts, who confirmed that the bottle and the engraving date back to the 18th century. What's more, the wine's authenticity can be confirmed by history, since Jefferson was American minister to France between 1785 and 1789. Jefferson was also known to be a wine connoisseur, and is said to have brought with him to America around 120,000 dollars of wine (or €105,551).

> Lafite Rothschild in stock

 

• TOP 6: Château Margaux 1787

Estimated price: $156 450 or €137,580

This special bottle of Château Margaux 1787 is reputed to be the most expensive bottle of wine ever "actually" sold. In 1989, wine merchant William Sokolin valued the wine at 500,000 dollars because it was thought to have belonged to Thomas Jeffersonbut there were no interested buyers at this price.

At a party in honor of the owners of the wine Sokolin was trying to sell, the bottle of Château Margaux 1787 fell to the ground and shattered completely. Fortunately, Sokolin had the wine insured for $225,000 (€1,101.15), which was eventually paid out by the insurance company.

> Our sales of Château Margaux

 

• TOP 5: Massandra Sherry de la Frontera 1775 - Wine from Ukraine

Estimated price: sold in 2001 for 43,500$ or €38,106.22

Visit 2001a bottle of Sherry from the Frontera Massandra 1775 was sold at the " Sotheby's "The wine was sold in London for $43,500, making it the most expensive bottle of Sherry in the world. The wine was produced by the Massandra winery, located in the Republic of Crimea, which houses a vast collection of valuable Russian and European wines.

In 1922, after the Russian Revolution, the winery was nationalized and its cellars became a protected institution. In 2015Russian President Vladamir Putin and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi reportedly drank a bottle of Jeres de la Frontera worth $90,000.

> Sale of exceptional wines

 

• TOP 4 :A bottle of Rüdesheimer Apostelwein from 1727 - Germany

Estimated price: 200 000$ or €175 201

Visit Apostelwein vintage 1727 comes from Bremer Ratskeller, the famous cellar of the 12 apostles of the Bremen town hall in Bremen, Germany. It comes from 12 barrels of wine from vintages 1683, 1717 and 1727, the number of which was reduced due to evaporation. With only one barrel remaining, the wine was bottled in the 1960s.

The most expensive bottle of Apostelwein 1727, worth $200,000, belongs to the Graycliff Hotel in Nassau and is one of the rarest wines in the world. The wine is supposedly still drinkable, but this is only a conclusion based on its high sugar content.

 

• TOP 3: A bottle of Tokay (Tokaji) - Hungarian wine from 1650-1690

Estimated price: unknown

This bottle of Tokaydated between 1650 and 1690, was sold for an undisclosed sum at an auction held in 1927 in the Saxon capital, Dresden. At this auction, 62 bottles of Tokay from the royal cellar of Augustus II were sold. This wine is considered to be the oldest intact bottle of Tokay and has been certified authentic by the Foundation of the House of Wettinwhich administered the patrimony of the ancient Saxon monarchy.

These golden wines have the particularity of being made from grapes which, thanks to Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that develops on the berries and gives what is known as "noble rot", ripen beyond the usual ripening stage to give the famous Aszú berries. Tokaj is best known for its range of top-of-the-range sweet wines, made from over-ripe grapes.

> Order great sweet wines

 

• TOP 2: French wine from 1472 to Strasbourg

Estimated price: unknown

The wine cellar under the Strasbourg city hospital (Historic Cellar of the Hospices de Strasbourg) in France is home to the oldest barrel-stored wine in the world. The barrel dates back to 1472, and the wine it contains is still drinkable.

The wine has only been tasted three times in its history: once in 1576 to celebrate the alliance between Strasbourg and Zurich; a second time in 1716 after the hospital burned down; and finally in 1944 when Strasbourg was liberated by General Leclerc during the Second World War.

This dry white wine from Alsace was transferred to a new barrel on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 after its original barrel began to leak. A new egg-shaped oak barrel was handcrafted for the wine by two of France's most respected coopers, Xavier Gouraud and Jean-Marie Blanchard. This very old vintage 548 years old would have retained all its flavor with a high alcohol content of 9.40%. The last taster was the famous General Leclerc in 1944.

> Our great Alsace wines in stock

 

• TOP 1: Speyer wine (Roman Speyer wine) 325 - 350 A.D.

Estimated price: unknown

Visit bottle of Speyer wine is considered to be the world's oldest bottle of wine and dates from around 325 to 350 AD. The bottle was unearthed in 1867. It was one of 16 found in a sarcophagus in the tomb of a Roman nobleman and his wife - the bottle was the only one still intact. The liquid, no longer alcohol, most likely survived as long as it did because the bottle was sealed with wax. Olive oil was poured into the bottle to preserve the wine. The bottle is made of glass and holds 1.5 liters. The shoulders of the bottle resemble the handles of amphorae (the most common containers for transporting liquids at the time). The handles are shaped like dolphins.

Since its discovery, experts have been debating whether the wine should be opened and analyzed. For the time being, the bottle is part of the Palatinate Historical Museum in Speyerin Germanyand has not yet been opened.

Find out more about our sales of grands crus and old vintages on the site!