World’s first “sacrificed” wine launched

A British winemaker in Chile has launched a wine called “Sacrificio”, with bottles buried on a mountain side for months.

Ian Hutcheon, owner of the Tremonte winery, was in the news earlier this year when he produced the first “meteorite-aged” wine. With his new product, Hutcheon is encouraging his customers to “dig up your own sacrificed wine”.

The inspiration for the wines, according to the company’s website, comes from ancient civilisations like the Incas. “Six hundred years ago”, it says, “they used to sacrifice animals, humans and valuable objects on mountain tops”.

Single bottles of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Syrah blend have been wrapped in a cloak, nailed into a wooden coffin and buried at the summit of Monte Tuca, near the winery in Chile’s Cachapoal Valley. There are currently 200 bottles hidden on the mountain, which were buried at the Autumn equinox, and have been left there through the Chilean winter.

From 22 September, customers will be able to buy the wine, but will need to have a few hours to spare, and a pair of sensible shoes. Each wine purchased has its own individual map, and customers will be able to climb the mountain, find their bottle with the map, and dig it up.

The round trip to retrieve the bottle is estimated at two hours, assuming your map-reading skills are up to the job.