Visit to le Musée du Vin
Le Musée du Vin is a very special place, situated just below the Passy Metro station in Paris. It is neatly nestled in former medieval cellars and quarries under the ridge that runs north-south in the 16th arrondissement, parallel to the Seine river.
Le Musée has a splendid collection of more than 2,200 objects showcasing the growth of grapes, and the production and enjoyment of wine, with some of the oldest objects dating from Roman times.
Along this ridge, in the days before phylloxera, today’s 16th arrondissement was covered with vineyards. A vestige of this history can be seen in the names of streets like Rue des Vignes and La rue Vineuse. See the photos.
In fact, in medieval days the Île-de-France was France’s leading region for wine production. Not because the wines were particularly good, but because these vineyards were closest to consumers. The cavernous underground Musée occupies the former cellars of the convent of Minimes which produced a wine greatly appreciated by Louis XIII.
But things changed, especially after phylloxera hit France in the 19th century. This coincided with urbanisation and industrialisation which meant that housing took over lands previously dedicated to vineyards. And as domestic transport links improved, notably through railways, it became more economical to transport to Paris France’s fine wines from the Loire River, a second home to France’s royalty and nobility, as well as from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne.
Le Musée du Vin has a charming little restaurant which I tried. Delicious food with good service. I tasted a sweet white wine, Gaillac. This wonderful wine is grown and made near Toulouse in the south-west of France. The dominant grape variety is “len de l’el”, a rare grape only found in this region.
Logistics
Take the Paris metro to the Passy station.