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Rare bottle of port that dates from Battle of Waterloo to be auctioned

A rare bottle of port from 1815, the year the Battle of Waterloo occurred, is due to be sold at auction to celebrate the event's bicentenary

One of the world's oldest port wine houses is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo by auctioning a rare bottle of wine from the era.

The Porto Ferreira Vintage 1815 will be sold in a charity auction by Sotheby's at the Tower of London later this week, along with several other vintage ports.

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The wine was originally harvested in 1815, the year that Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, led the British army to victory at the Battle of Waterloo, and was bottled several years later.

Tasting notes from 1990 describe the wine as having an "intensely spicy aroma - cinnamon, pepper and ginger - hints of exotic woods, iodine and wax."

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Fernando Guedes, CEO of Sogrape, the family wine company that have owned Porto Ferreira since 1987, said: “We’re all very excited to be auctioning off this exclusive bottle, which has been ageing in our cellars since 1815, for a good cause.

"We will only auction this one bottle worldwide, uniquely suited to celebrate the historic anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo - and will hopefully be a memorable event in itself.”

Sotheby's will also auction off one lot containing five bottles of vintage port that fill the 200 year "age-gap" between the auction and the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo.

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These include a 150cl bottle of Porto Ferreira from 1947, to celebrate the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II, and a 75cl bottle from 1952, in honour of the Queen's accession to the throne, along with other bottles from 1985, 1994, and 1997.

Guedes added: "This is a momentous bottle celebrating the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo, that has been sleeping deep down in the Ferreira cellars for 200 years.

"This is an exciting and rare opportunity for all wine collectors to not only gain an incredible bottle of wine but to own an incredible piece of history. It’s the real luxury of time."

The auction will take place on May 7 and will be open to the public to make bids by telephone.