Written records show that even back then vine growing and winemaking in this region were at an advanced stage. He paved the way for dry and bottled wines and started a wine collection, paying particular attention to Ribolla Gialla.

By profession, Silverio De Baguer was a diplomat. In his last assignment, he was appointed Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See and took the local variety Picolit to the Vatican, spreading the good name of wines from Brda. He died on April 27, 1927, bequeathing his legacy to his first-born daughter Elvira.

SILVERIO DE BAGUER

Silverio de Baguer was born on December 2, 1838 in Odessa, where his father Jaime served as Spanish Consul. In June 1872, he married Cecilia de Catterini-Erzberg, the only descendant of a noble family from Gorizia who owned Dobrovo Castle.

Silverio De Baguer contributed significantly to the development of vine growing and winemaking in Brda, where in 1880 he planted the first vineyards as we might recognize them today. His example was followed by numerous local winegrowers. He cultivated 315 hectares of vineyards, producing an average of 1,200 hectolitres of wine a year.

DOBROVO CASTLE

The beginnings of Dobrovo Castle date back to the 13th century, but its medieval origins have been lost through the centuries. In the early 17th century, a new Renaissance mansion was built on its ruins, which has survived relatively unchanged to the present day and is considered one of the finest examples of the style in the wider region. The first owners of the castle were supposedly the Counts of Colloredo, followed briefly by the Marquess of Montecuccoli and from late 18th century, the Catterini-Erzberg family from Gorizia. In 1872, the holding passed by marriage to the de Baguer family.

THE WINE CELLAR TODAY

In 2018, Klet Brda began to renovate de Baguer’s wine cellar, restoring it to its original role.

It is now home to the wines from the de Baguer and A plus lines, aged in French and Italian barriques and eggshaped wooden barrels, as well as to pupitres, special wooden racks for the riddling of sparkling wines produced according to the traditional method.

WINE CELLAR IN THE PAST

The wine cellar has always been part of the Renaissance castle and even its first owners, the Counts of Colloredo, stored wine barrels in it, but it was only when Silverio De Baguer took over that the cellar began to flourish.

In 1880, he started to collect wines in it, classifying them in nine categories based on quality. In 1909 and 1910 he equipped the cellar with three concrete tanks lined with glass, which are still in place today. He bought them from the then state-of-the-art viticulture and vinification equipment production plant in Klosterneuburg in Austria.