I don’t know too much about wine, to be quite honest. I drink wine that I think tastes good and that’s probably why I’ve settled for De Grendel wine. Quality stuff, easy drinking and affordable – with all the awards to boot (just in case there is a wine snob in the room!).

The oldest wine I can remember consuming was a bottle of Nederberg Baronne 1979, which I shared with the rest of the rabble at The Film Guy‘s bachelor party in (Jennifer) Arniston a couple months back. It was pretty good, if I remember correctly.. (the evening was “getting on”).

Some of you might be impressed by the aforementioned vintage. You shouldn’t be – it is 252 years shy of the oldest drinkable wine in existence. I am, of course, talking about the Rüdesheimer Apostelwein 1727.

Rüdesheimer Apostelwein 1727

Check this out, from finestandrarest.com:

The city of Bremen owns the famous Ratskeller or town hall, underneath which is a legendary cellar known as the Schatzkammer (treasury cellar). In here are 12 very large elaborately carved casks of wine dating from the 17th and 18th century, named after the 12 Apostles. The oldest dates from 1653, but the wine is no longer drinkable. The most famous is the Judas cask, containing Rudesheim wine of the 1727 vintage, by repute the greatest vintage of the 18th century. Wine from this cask has never been sold, but periodically very small quantities have been bottled as civic gifts from the Bremen municipality to important dignitaries, visiting heads of state, royalty etc. When any wine has been drawn off like this, the cask (about 3000 litres + in capacity) has been topped up with young Rudesheim wine of the finest quality. In this way the barrel has been refreshed, as the old wine feeds on the sugars in the younger one. But only a handful of half bottles have ever been drawn off at one time, and so this top-up wine only constitutes a tiny percentage of the overall volume, the vast bulk of which is still the original 1727.

This is, quite simply, the oldest drinkable wine in existence.

Renowned authority on wine tasting and old wines, Michael Broadbent , has sampled this very wine:

I first tasted the 1727 at Schloss Vollrads in 1973 at a tasting of wines of the world to celebrate Count Matushka’s 80th birthday. Another memorable occasion took place at a dinner in Sydney on the evening of my first visit to Australia in February 1977. By way of welcome, my host, the irrepressible Len Evans had invited the Prime Minister and a group of the best ‘palates’. Among other fine and rare wines was this 250 year old Hock. Just as it was about to be served, there was a shattering crash followed by an agonized Australian voice ‘Gee Len, sorry we’ll just have to have the 1928’! (The ‘waiter’ Anders Ousbach, who had dropped a handful of spoons, was a wine expert and opera singer
known for his practical jokes).

Very good – I’m sure everyone in the room aged to a similar vintage during that little incident!

If you’re keen on tasting the Rüdesheimer Apostelwein 1727, you can order it from the extensive wine cellar kept at the historic Graycliff Hotel (here) in Nassau, Bahamas.

I warn you though, it’s probably a bit pricy.

And what better moment to remind you that this week’s EuroMillions lottery is sitting at R1 billion – the EXACT minimum required for a mention on 2oceansvibe! CLICK HERE to get involved.

That should sort out your litle trip to the Graycliff!