Antique 1864 Xeres Sherry Montebello Wine Bottle Original Cork Rare Estate Ephemera

Details

Description

This is an extraordinary piece of 19th-century liquid history: an authentic, hand-blown dark glass wine bottle (which sounds as if … Read more This is an extraordinary piece of 19th-century liquid history: an authentic, hand-blown dark glass wine bottle (which sounds as if it still holds a remaining drop) labeled a rare 1864 Xeres (Sherry) from the historic Montebello collection. The bottle features an authentic, heavily aged handwritten paper label reading "Xeres Montebello + 1864" in elegant period calligraphy. "Xeres" is the historic 19th-century spelling for Jerez (Sherry), making this an incredibly scarce vintage Spanish Sherry selected for a private estate or cellar collection.

The glass itself is a magnificent example of mid-to-late 19th-century glassblowing, featuring a highly pronounced, deep push-up (punt) base with clear manufacturing texture, and beautiful surface striations characteristic of the era. A small paper inventory tag on the neck reads "703 / 705", indicating its pedigree from an organized estate or private wine library collection.

Material: Hand-blown dark "black" glass (very deep olive green/amber)

Age: Dated 1864 (19th Century / Civil War Era)

Origin: Jerez (Xérès), Spain; private/estate bottling label associated with Montebello cellars.

Important Marketplace Notice: This item is sold strictly as a historic collectible artifact and glass specimen. The contents are not intended for consumption. Per seller observations, a tiny amount of original residual liquid remains inside, though it has mostly naturally evaporated over its 160+ year lifespan. A modern removable collector's label reading "DO NOT OPEN" is affixed to the back to preserve its integrity.

Reference
Book Title: The Epicurean: A Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art, including Table and Wine Service
Author: Charles Ranhofer (Legendary chef of Delmonico's)
Page/Reference Insight: Chapter XXXVII ("Cellar and Wine Service"), which outlines the storage, temperature controls, and curation of mid-19th-century Xeres (Sherry) and Champagne Montebello for America's elite Gilded Age cellars.

Historical Provenance & Design Significance
This rare 1864 Spanish Sherry bottle represents a brilliant intersection of 19th-century viticulture and high-society cellar curation. Marked with historic French-style script for Xeres—the designation reserved for European elite tables—and carrying the moniker of the legendary Montebello estate holdings, this hand-blown vessel speaks directly to Gilded Age connoisseurship. Its dense, heavy "black glass" composition, aged flush-set closure, and exaggerated, hand-formed sculptural punt emphasize the organic variations prized in mid-19th-century glass manufacturing.

Curator's Note & Decorative Utility
An exquisite addition to a gentleman’s library, dark-academia mantle, or an upscale back-bar display. This 1864 bottle carries an incredible, authentic dry-cellar patina that cannot be replicated. Its striking silhouette and impeccably preserved handwritten calligraphic label offer immense decorative utility, grounding a modern or traditional shelf vignette with genuine historic gravity and timeless, weathered texture. See less