Archaeologists have Carbon-14 dating to help them identify the age of ancient artifacts, and now European wine professionals have their own tool: Cesium-137 dating. Turns out that thanks to Chernobyl and various other Soviet underground nuke testing, all the grapes in Europe were irradiated to some degree over the last 50 years. These exposures to radiation leave such distinct signatures depending on the grape and the region that apparently they can be used to identify the vintage year and one day perhaps even the general appellation of a wine.
How Much Cesium Would You Like With That Bordeaux, Sir?
