"Even though I am no specialist, I have not managed to find any collection of Madeira wine in the country like this. It is one of the oldest collections in the US", the museum’s curator, Bill Schroh, told Lusa.

The bottles were discovered in the museum, a historical building that was erected in 1772 by the first governor of New Jersey, William Livingston.

Several presidents stayed there including George Washington, Herbert Hoover and Gerald Ford.

The bottles of Madeira and Port were discovered in 1995, but it was only 20 years later that the difficult identification work began.

"Many of the bottles were in a poor condition, some had no label, making it difficult or even impossible to date them. The oldest ones we identified were Lennox Madeira, imported by a trader and lawyer called Robert Lenox in 1796 and bottled in 1798", the curator said.

Madeira wine was very popular in the United States in the 18th century and was drunk in 1776 by the "Founding Fathers" as a toast after signing the Declaration of Independence.