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Vinho dos MortosRa-Ro IndexUniqueWhat is the Ra-Ro Index?
Handmade byVinho dos Mortos
Wine of the Dead
24,40 €
Made to order · Ships in about 2 weeks
Small‑batch craft production. The time counts from your order.This tradition is kept alive by the hands of the sole current producer of Wine of the Dead, Nuno Pereira. His family has produced this wine for as long as anyone can remember, with the ancestral house, Casa Sousa, dating back to 1792, predating the French invasions.
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Shipping time: More than 2 weeks
We ship to Portugal, the rest of Europe, the US, Canada and Brazil. You have 30 days to return the piece free of charge. Payment is secure and encrypted.
Buried wine from Boticas
Wine of the Dead
Buried in the earth, before Napoleon could find it.
Story of the piece
Wine of the Dead
Buried underground, before Napoleon could catch it.
When it came to drinking wine, it seems Napoleon rarely ventured beyond his familiar red Burgundy. But when it came to conquering empires, he was known for going a little further.
That is how his army reached the small locality of what is now the village of Boticas, in Trás-os-Montes (Portugal), during the second French invasion, in 1809.
The curious thing is that, even if the emperor had been a masterful sommelier, he would not have found the bottles the locals produced. Because they had been hidden. More than hidden: buried. Can you imagine? Right under their feet.
One of the people’s most precious possessions rested beneath the granitic soil until it was safe; escaping pillaging and fermenting in the dark, under constant temperatures. That is how it received the name Wine of the Dead (Vinho dos Mortos). Later, when they dug up the bottles and opened them to celebrate the good death (of the conflict), they discovered that the wine had acquired unique and unexpected properties: low alcohol content and a subtle effervescence.
Now here we are, more than 200 years later, with a very, very small annual production of numbered bottles.
Santé.
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In numbers
The piece in facts.
Invasion1809
The year Napoleon's army reached Boticas.
Tradition200years
More than two centuries of burying wine in Boticas.
Production5000bottles/year
Around five thousand limited editions, buried by hand.
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See every detail.
Overview
The bottles
Numbered bottles of Vinho dos Mortos, from a very small annual production.
- 1CapsuleBottled and buried by hand.
- 2LabelTypography echoing the early 19th-century local rebellion.
- 3Limited editionAround 5,000 bottles a year.
The boxes
Ready to give
Cardboard boxes bearing the wine's name and monogram.
- 1MonogramThe Vinho dos Mortos mark, printed on the box.
- 2The nameA memory of the bottles hidden from Napoleon's troops.
Meet the Producer
A LEGACY BURIED FOR TWO HUNDRED YEARS
The tradition of burying wine remains alive on the Pereira family estate, where they manually bottle and bury around 5,000 limited editions per year.
discover the storyQuestions
Everything you need to know.
What is this piece?
Vinho dos Mortos from Boticas, Trás-os-Montes: fermented buried in the dark, low in alcohol with subtle effervescence. Unique, numbered bottle.
Which region is it from?
It comes from Trás os Montes, in Portugal. At Ra-Ro, every piece is tied to its origin and to the territory where it is made.
Who makes this piece?
It is made by Vinho dos Mortos, the producer Ra-Ro works with directly for this piece.
What technique is used?
This piece is made using the Destilados e Fermentados technique.
Are all pieces identical?
As a handmade piece, it may vary slightly from one example to another. That variation is part of its authenticity.
Where do you ship?
We ship to Portugal, the rest of Europe, the US, Canada and Brazil.
How do returns work?
You have 30 days for a free return.
Is payment secure?
Yes, all payments are processed securely and encrypted.
Open a numbered bottle, serve at 15 °C and toast to the good death.
Santé.
24,40 € · available to ship
Buy nowShipping to Europe, US and Brazil30 days for free returnsSecure payment
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