top of page

19th-century wines hidden after WW2, discovered in exquisite condition

Radan Sprongl, Anna Lubowicka/Reuters

5 June 2026


A collection of late 19th-century wine, hidden by Nazi sympathizers after World War Two and discovered beneath a Czech castle chapel floor in 1985, has been painstakingly restored by Château d'Yquem. The 133 bottles—most dating from 1892 to 1899—are now on public display at Becov Castle. Cellar master Toni El Khawand says the humid, cold cellar provided perfect aging conditions. The wine's owners, the Beaufort-Spontin family, fled to Austria and never returned.

© 2026 Paraluman News Publication

bottom of page