Over 4,000 bottles of wines and spirits, many of them with labels of exceptional historic and artistic value, have been discovered in the wine cellars in Tatoi summer palace of the former Greek royal family.
Among the rare wines and spirits found in the royal cellars is also a special edition of Chivas whisky in a ceramic bottle, produced to mark the enthronement of Queen Elizabeth II in Britain, as wells as a collection of bottles bearing the label of the estate.
The “treasure trove” has been recovered during works to restore the summer palace Tatoi and turn it into a mixed use facility for the people.
The rare and unusual ‘treasure’ has brought to light large collection of rare wines and alcoholic beverages stored in the former royal wine cellars, with bottles and labels that are now considered historical artifacts and collector’s items.
Presenting the rare collection, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said on Sunday that “the Tatoi wine and spirits collection, in addition to its significant collector value, is also of great scientific and research interest.”
She added that the ministry works with specialists, oenologists, for the evaluation of the wine collection and that the ministry considers to display part of the collection when the estate opens again as a museum.
“The Tatoi cellar, a historic collection over 50 years old, of exceptional cultural and oenological value will be visitable,” Mendoni said.
The recovery work is currently in progress and has so far found and catalogued more than 235 cases containing 4,000 bottles of wines and spirits.
Discovered have been also cans of soft drinks that were not imported into Greece at the time, while some of the wines and spirits are considered still fit for consumption, despite the suboptimal conditions in which they were kept.
Another 300 cases remain to be examined in order to assess the condition of their contents.
Among the rare wines found in the collection are bottles of Château Margaux, Château de Vincennes and Château Rothschild
The Achaia Clauss winery has been engaged as special consultant for the evaluation of the Tatoi cellar, working pro bono following a memorandum of cooperation signed with the ministry.
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