Clearly visible impact craters from meteorites are extremely rare on Earth. The traces disappear over time due to erosion. The crater on the Domaine du Météore property in Cabrerolles in the south of France fell into oblivion after a renowned scientist rejected the idea (in 1964) that the round depression with a diameter of around 220 metres and a depth of 50 metres could have come from a celestial body.
It was only by a lucky coincidence that the crater was scientifically re-examined in 2023, after the geologist and cosmochemist Prof. Dr Frank Brenker (from Goethe University Frankfurt) came across a bottle of Domaine du Météore during his holiday and became curious. He returned with a research team and was able to confirm through rock and soil analyses that the crater was indeed formed by the impact of an iron-nickel meteorite. Among other things, he discovered numerous microdiamonds, which must have been created by the high pressure of the meteorite impact. As every wine enthusiast knows, soil conditions have a decisive influence on the flavour of a wine. Does the stardust have an influence on the wine? Oenologist Simon Frech confirms: "Our wines actually have a significantly higher nickel and cobalt content." In terms of flavour, we were particularly struck by the multi-layered, delicate aromas of the wines - like looking into a clear starry sky, where many small lights merge into an overwhelming whole that you cannot get enough of.
