Eight bottles of a legendary French wine that survived World War II and decades of communist rule hidden under a Czech castle floor have been lovingly restored by the chateau that produced them some 130 years ago. The bottles of Chateau d'Yquem -- one of the world's most expensive, highly-prized sweet white wines -- are a part of a collection of 136 bottles discovered at the western Czech castle of Becov nad Teplou in the 1980s, slated to go on display in the future. The collection once belonged to the noble Beaufort-Spontin family, who left the old Czechoslovakia hastily at the end of the war when they were suspected of having collaborated with the Nazis. The wine spent decades hidden under the floorboards of the castle chapel alongside the shrine of St Maurus before communist secret police found them in 1985. But while the shrine was taken to Prague at once to undergo extensive reconstruction before returning to Becov to be displayed in 2002, the wine was left where it was.

The family fled across the border at the end of the Second World War, leaving the cache behind

Eight bottles of a legendary French wine that survived World War II and decades of communist rule hidden under a Czech castle floor have been lovingly restored by the chateau that…

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleA collection of 133 late 19th-century wine…

The collection once belonged to the noble Beaufort-Spontin family, who were suspected of having collaborated with the Nazis.

La colección corresponde a Chateau d'Yquem, uno de los vinos blancos dulces más caros y apreciados del mundo

Meer dan honderd flessen wijn uit de late negentiende eeuw zijn gerestaureerd en sinds kort te bekijken in een kasteel in Tsjechië. De flessen zijn daar in de jaren tachtig…