Wine Experts Taste Space Wine
2021-03-27
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1It tastes like flowers. It smells like a campfire.
2What is it?
3It is a $6,000 bottle of Petrus Pomerol wine that spent a year on the International Space Station.
4Researchers in Bordeaux are examining the twelve bottles of wine as well as 320 pieces of grapevines that returned to Earth in January.
5They say the wine and grapevines are part of a longer-term effort to make plants on Earth better resist climate change and disease.
6Alcohol and glass are not usually permitted on the International Space Station.
7Each bottle was packed inside a special steel container during the journey.
8At a special tasting this month, 12 wine experts tried one of the space-traveled wines at the Institute for Wine and Vine Research in Bordeaux.
9They tasted and smelled the wine alongside a similar bottle from the same year that had stayed on Earth.
10The tasting was blind, meaning the experts did not know which wine they were drinking.
11Nicolas Gaume is the head of Space Cargo Unlimited, the company that arranged the experiment.
12He said the experiment studied the effects of the lack of gravity on the wine and vines.
13"I have tears in my eyes," Gaume told The Associated Press about the experiment.
14Jane Anson is a wine expert and writer.
15She said the wine that remained on Earth tasted "a little younger than the one that had been to space."
16Chemical and biological study of the wine's aging process could help scientists find a way to age fine vintages - the grapes or wine produced during one season.
17That information came from Dr. Michael Lebert of Germany's Friedrich-Alexander-University. Lebert was an advisor on the project.
18The small pieces of vine, which are known as canes in the grape-growing business, not only survived the journey but also grew faster than vines on Earth.
19They were unaffected by limited light and water.
20Once researchers understand why this happened, Lebert said that could help scientists develop stronger, healthier vines on Earth.
21Such information could also help create a way to grow grapes or to make wine in space.
22Christophe Chateau of the Bordeaux Wine-Makers' Council welcomed the research as "a good thing for the industry."
23But Chateau expects it would take a decade or more to lead to practical, or actual, uses.
24Private investors helped finance the project, which the researchers hope to continue on future space missions.
25The cost was not made public.
26Researchers said each of the wine experts had many opinions about the difference between the earth wine and the space wine.
27Franck Dubourdieu is a Bordeaux-based expert in the study of wine and wine-making.
28"For me, the difference between the space and earth wine ... it wasn't easy to define," Dubourdieu said.
29Anson said, "The one that had remained on Earth, for me, was still a bit more closed ... a bit younger."
30But, she added about the two wines, "They were both beautiful."
31I'm John Russell.
1It tastes like flowers. It smells like a campfire. 2What is it? 3It is a $6,000 bottle of Petrus Pomerol wine that spent a year on the International Space Station. 4Researchers in Bordeaux are examining the twelve bottles of wine as well as 320 pieces of grapevines that returned to Earth in January. They say the wine and grapevines are part of a longer-term effort to make plants on Earth better resist climate change and disease. 5Alcohol and glass are not usually permitted on the International Space Station. Each bottle was packed inside a special steel container during the journey. 6At a special tasting this month, 12 wine experts tried one of the space-traveled wines at the Institute for Wine and Vine Research in Bordeaux. 7They tasted and smelled the wine alongside a similar bottle from the same year that had stayed on Earth. The tasting was blind, meaning the experts did not know which wine they were drinking. 8Nicolas Gaume is the head of Space Cargo Unlimited, the company that arranged the experiment. He said the experiment studied the effects of the lack of gravity on the wine and vines. 9"I have tears in my eyes," Gaume told The Associated Press about the experiment. 10Jane Anson is a wine expert and writer. She said the wine that remained on Earth tasted "a little younger than the one that had been to space." 11Chemical and biological study of the wine's aging process could help scientists find a way to age fine vintages - the grapes or wine produced during one season. That information came from Dr. Michael Lebert of Germany's Friedrich-Alexander-University. Lebert was an advisor on the project. 12The small pieces of vine, which are known as canes in the grape-growing business, not only survived the journey but also grew faster than vines on Earth. They were unaffected by limited light and water. 13Once researchers understand why this happened, Lebert said that could help scientists develop stronger, healthier vines on Earth. Such information could also help create a way to grow grapes or to make wine in space. 14Christophe Chateau of the Bordeaux Wine-Makers' Council welcomed the research as "a good thing for the industry." But Chateau expects it would take a decade or more to lead to practical, or actual, uses. 15Private investors helped finance the project, which the researchers hope to continue on future space missions. The cost was not made public. 16Researchers said each of the wine experts had many opinions about the difference between the earth wine and the space wine. 17Franck Dubourdieu is a Bordeaux-based expert in the study of wine and wine-making. 18"For me, the difference between the space and earth wine ... it wasn't easy to define," Dubourdieu said. 19Anson said, "The one that had remained on Earth, for me, was still a bit more closed ... a bit younger." But, she added about the two wines, "They were both beautiful." 20I'm John Russell. 21Masha MacPherson and Angela Charlton reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 22_____________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24wine - n. an alcoholic drink made from the juice of grapes 25grapevine - n. a climbing plant on which grapes grow 26lack - n. the state or condition of not having any or enough of something 27define -- v. to show or describe (someone or something) clearly and completely