When you’ve had your fill of 100-year-old vintages and those six-figure price tags just aren’t hitting the same way, you’re left with but one course of action: space wine. That’s right. It may sound like an elaborate practical joke or a next-level novelty, but it’s here, it’s real, and it’s even up for sale.
Having spent 14 months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) courtesy of Space Cargo Unlimited, this Pétrus 2000 is now being offered through Christie’s Private Sales department. Equal parts scientific experiment and viticultural oddity, it was originally sent into orbit to study how the stress of zero gravity affects plants and our prospects for interstellar farming. Upon splashdown, it was tasted by a panel of 12 wine professionals at the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV) where it was confirmed that the wine’s space aging actually made for a noticeable difference in its flavor. So, while you may think that a $1 million evaluation sounds like a tall order, you have to consider the cost of transport on top of the $10,000 list price for a bottle of Pétrus 2000. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that all of the proceeds are going to fund future missions.
