3,000-Year-Old Wine Discovered In China

We've heard of beer and champagne that are more than 150 years old, discovered off a shipwreck in Finland, but this wine blows that record out of the water. New reports say that archaeologists have discovered the oldest "bottle" of wine found in China — nearly 3,000 years old.

The ancient bronze vessel was found in the city of Baoji, reports The Drinks Business. And the story behind it is fascinating: the bottle may have belonged to the Western Zhou Dynasty, which ruled from 1046 to 771 B.C. During the previous Shang Dynasty, wine was considered to be a symbol of corruption (thanks to some boozing politicians); during the Western Zhou Dynasty, "Prohibition devices" became popular. These devices were put on the table to remind people not to drink too much.

And the craziest thing of all: the archaeologists believe the wine inside is actually still liquid. Though the vessel hasn't been opened yet, they heard liquid sounds when they shook it.

While this wine is certainly one of the oldest found (and the oldest in liquid form), it's not the oldest: residue of 9,000-year-old wine was found in China in 2004; and some 7,000-year-old wine remnants were found in Iran.