It was supposed to be a routine job to fix a beer pipe, but instead hotel owner Howard Astbury found out just how good a year 1943 had been for vintage champagne.
After removing cement and brickwork in the cellar of the Lion Hotel, Howard was greeted by 24 empty and dusty bottles of Pol Roger and Co champagne, produced in occupied France during the Second World War reserved especially for Britain.
Staff at the hotel believe the bottles are the lasting remnants of a post-war or D-day celebration party, and are appealing for anyone with information about the bottles to step forward.
Nine of the bottles are being displayed by wine merchants Tanners – where it was initially believed the bottles may have been bought from – while three have been sent to the Wine Association.
The Pol Roger brand is linked to wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, who met Odette Pol Roger in November 1944 and named a racehorse after her.
Mr Astbury said: “It’s the only find of its kind we have ever had here and they were deliberately hidden – for some reason the people involved didn’t want these bottles to be found. They were all completely empty – you would have thought they could have left one or two bottles for those who found them.”
Anyone with information can contact Alison Chadwick at Tanners Wines on 01743 234500.
