Miraculous Portuguese Wines

Our Sabelia wines honor Portugal’s indomitable spirit and its “vinho dos mortos”. The story goes: When Napoleon invaded Portugal in the early 1800s, the small town of Boticas buried all its wine to protect it from French pillaging. Three years later, with Napoleon expelled and Portugal ravaged by war, the people of Boticas unearthed their buried wine as their only chance of sustenance. Miraculously, the wine tasted delicious, preserved by the darkness and cool temperatures. In honor of their buried wine, they dubbed it “vinho dos mortos” (or “wine of the dead”), and they continue to recreate the tradition every year.