A Sauternes Story: From Nazi Sympathizers to Grill Side Desserts
- chapel floors, sweet wines, barsac, and more
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Some of you may have seen recent wine clickbait about Nazi Stashes of Sauternes wine. One headline from CBS on June 2nd reads:
Legendary 130-year-old wine, hidden by suspected Nazi sympathizers, unveiled after decades under castle floor
In 1985, a collection of approximately 135 wine bottles dating back to late 1800s vintages were revealed. They had been hidden at the end of World War Two by the owners of Bečov castle in Czechoslovakia. Some of these bottles were from the French Sauternes subregion.
But they would surely be spoiled.
In fact, no. I will get into Sauternes wines in more depth shortly, but their high sugar and acid content act as natural preservatives. The wines were found under a chapel floor where appropriate humidity and coolness, and most importantly constant temperatures, created perfect cellaring conditions.
But what is the story, why were the wines hidden?
Widely regarded as Nazi sympathizers, and whose estate was seized after the war under the Beneš decrees, the noble Beaufort-Spontin family fled Czechoslovakia after the second World War. They were caught by the communist secret police when they tried to retrieve the bottles via an intermediary in 1985. Afterwards the wine actually continued to be cellared there, and wasn’t found “again” until 10 years ago when inventory was taken.
So why are we talking about it now in 2026?
The rediscovery led to laboratory tests to confirm the bottles were from Château d’Yquem.
Château d’Yquem, the Bordeaux producer, restored the bottles including replacing the corks to allow the wines to continue to age. Small quantities of the wine have been tasted to ensure that they are aging as would be expected for Chateau d’Yquem of that age. The Château d’Yquem bottles have now been returned to the Bečov castle.
Remind me about Sauternes again!
Ah Sauternes …
I vividly remember my first Sauternes. It was a blind tasting in a WSET class. I remember looking up at my teacher and thinking what have you done to me! I am now changed forever.
The complexity and depth of flavour. What is that? Marmalade, citrus peel, honey, oh! and tropical fruit… the texture, full body and the brightness to just make it all harmonious.
To me life changing. It stopped me in my tracks. I still have the experience imprinted in me, the sensation, the tastes, where I sat in the room, the teacher. We broke out for lunch right after and it was all I could think about.
Sauternes is a subregion of Bordeaux, right?
Yes. I went in 2022. I also visited Barsac, which you could call a subregion of the Sauternes subregion. It is a wine from Château Coutet in Barsac that I am featuring this week.
What makes Barsac stand apart from “greater” Sauternes?
Firstly, the wines produced in Barsac and Sauternes are sweet white wines. The grape varieties allowed are Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle. Sémillon, the dominant grape, is often infected by a rot called Botrytis. This is because its tight bunches and thin-skinned grapes make them vulnerable to infection.
Keep going this sounds appetizing (not)!
The pickers are trained to pick only the fruit that is either healthy or botrytis affected and leaving the unhealthy grapes behind. Harvest, which can run as late as November, often consists of multiple passes through the vineyards, in some years as many as 12 times. The people working the harvest literally pick grapes one by one. This results in very concentrated juice high in acidity, sugar, flavours, and aromas. The resulting wine is deliciously balanced, with the acidity balancing the sugar, and the weight of the full body balancing the intensity and complexity of flavours and aromas.
This region is particularly susceptible to rot because of its landscape. The mixing of air temperatures when two rivers join - one cold, the Ciron River and the warmer Garonne River - results in misty autumn mornings. This allows the Botrytis rot, also known as noble rot, to form. The mist then lifts allowing the grapes to dry in the afternoon sun, halting the formation of grey rot, the unhealthy kind of rot.
Barsac’s area represents about 17% of the Sauternes subregion areally. Its wines are said to be lighter because its land, gently sloping down to the River Garonne, has shallow red sand above the deep limestone bedrock. Greater Sauternes has rolling hills with soils of gravel over clay.
I’ve gone back to not liking sweet wines. So I’m out!
Do you like a certain dessert?
Yes.
Then pair it with Sauternes and Barsac! Both will be better together than apart. The only rule is the wine needs to be sweeter than the dessert, which is usually not a problem with these wines.
What was Barsac paired with when you were there?
Pineapple. Which actually threw me right off. I was prepared for disappointment. And then the pairing sang! Barbecue season is in full swing in the northern hemisphere – try grilling some pineapple until the fruit’s sugar caramelizes on the surface. This provides extra sweetness and complexity of flavour in the dessert, while complementing the tropical fruit flavours found in the wine.
These wines can outlive neglect and abandonment — you don’t need a Czech castle, just a grill and a great bottle.
Scroll down to read more about the featured Château Coutet wine!
Cheers!
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Château Coutet Barsac 2022, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
Style: sweet full body white wine
Variety(ies): 94% Sémillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc, 1% Muscadelle
This wine has intense aromas and flavours of lemon zest, mandarin, white nectarine, barely ripe mango, and honey with just a hint of ginger and white pepper. It is on the lighter side of full bodied, has fresh acidity, and an extremely long finish.
Best pairings: Candied salmon, Thai yellow curry with prawns, Duck liver mousse, Mango pavlova, Peach cobbler, Grilled pineapple, Blue Cheeses: Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola Dolce
Serving Temperature: 7 - 9 degrees Celsius
Serving Tips: Pour & enjoy
Price: ~$51Cdn
Relevant Shades of Grape links: Keep scrolling
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LINKS TO RELEVANT PAST SHADES OF GRAPE ARTICLES:
SOURCES
CBS News, 2025. Wine unveiled decades hidden under castle floor. [online] Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wine-unveiled-decades-hidden-castle-floor/ [Accessed 11 June 2026].
Common Grape, no date. Bordeaux wine region. [online] Available at: https://www.commongrape.com/post/bordeaux-wine-region [Accessed 11 June 2026].
Harding, J. and Robinson, J., 2023. The Oxford companion to wine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jancis Robinson, no date. Abruzzo’s new avant-garde, part 2. [online] Available at: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/abruzzos-new-avant-garde-part-2 [Accessed 11 June 2026].
La Carte des Vins S.V.P., 2019. Carte des vins Sauternes-Barsac. [online image] Available at: https://blog.lacartedesvins-svp.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/carte-vins-sauternes-barsac-10-1-1440x1798.jpg [Accessed 11 June 2026].
U.S. News & World Report, 2026. Czech castle’s cache of precious wine goes on display in new old bottles. [online] Available at: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-02/czech-castles-cache-of-precious-wine-goes-on-display-in-new-old-bottles [Accessed 11 June 2026].
Wine & Spirit Education Trust, 2025. D3: Wines of the World – An accompaniment to the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines. Version 1.2. London: Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
I still remember my first Sauternes like it was yesterday. Thanks for sharing such a fascinating story!
Oh my goodness my first Sauternes experience was like yours. There’s nothing like it!! What a great story. Imagine tasting these ancient bottles. Thanks for another great story x