Mateus Rose

Mateus Rose is about as retro as retro can get when it comes to wine labels! Ask your Nan or Grandad what they used to sip back in the day and if it was pink in the glass it was probably Mateus from Portugal.

First produced at the end of World War II in the 1940s in an iconic shaped bottle that’s still used today. Here’s a fun(ish) fact – the bottle shape was inspired by the flasks used soldiers during the World War year.

In the 1950s and 1960s its popularity really started to take off globally. By the time the 80s rolled around this iconic Rosé accounted for 40% of Portugal’s total wine exports!

In fact the wine was almost going beyond global! Frank Borman was the team leader of the NASA astronauts who first flew around the moon. Staring down from space he realised what he missed the most – “My only regret is that when I flew around the moon, I wasn’t drinking Mateus.”

Meanwhile back on earth Mateus was infamously amongst the brands said to be stockpiled in the vaults of Saddam Hussein’s palaces. Never mind weapons of mass destruction it was wines of mass production!

It’s light, fresh, just slightly sparkling and a tad lower in alcohol at just 11%. Grab a bottle, chill it down and pour yourself a little bit of history.