A moment out of
of time
An exceptional collection of over 2,200 objects relating to the cultivation of vines and wine.
Come and immerse yourself in the heart of the vineyards, experience historic scenes and discover the cult objects of wine and timeless French heritage!
History
Geological origins
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Ancient coarse limestone quarries, exploited between the 13th and 18th centuries to provide the ashlar needed for the capital's buildings, now serve as the setting for the Musée du Vin.
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This limestone characterises a geological stage universally known as the Lutecian (from Lutèce, the ancient name of Paris) located here at 37 m 80 above sea level.
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The Museum's galleries were dug in the lower part of this geological layer, using the turned-pillar technique, i.e. leaving regularly spaced pillars to support the sky.
Masonry walls were built, particularly in the 19th century, to consolidate these galleries.
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The limestone was formed by the accumulation, at the bottom of the warm sea that covered the region 45 million years ago, of shellfish, the fossils of which are still visible in some places (bivalve molluscs or molluscs with elongated shells).
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The well at the entrance to the Museum bears witness to the existence of water tables that sometimes gushed out. Various mineral springs were discovered in this part of Passy between the mid-seventeenth century and 1754 (hence the name given to the Rue des Eaux).
Considered to be ferruginous and laxative, the waters of Passy were exploited until the Second Empire, but it was above all in the 18th century that they were most in vogue, attracting numerous spa-goers from Parisian high society, writers and artists.
The cellars of the Minimes convent
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Housed in the former quarries, four vaulted rooms, now reserved for restoration, were used in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Friars of the Order of Minimes of the Convent of Passy to store their wine.
The history of the convent dates back to its foundation in 1472 by François Martorille (1436-1507), canonised as Saint François de Paule.
This Calabrian hermit, renowned as a miracle worker, was summoned to the château du Plessis-les-Tours on the Loire by King Louis XI in 1475 and authorised to establish his order in France.
The convent, whose construction began in 1491, was supported and enriched by Queen Anne of Brittany.
Located along what is now rue Beethoven, it was surrounded by terraced gardens along the Seine, as well as orchards and vineyards on the slopes.
From these vines, whose existence is still remembered today in rue Vineuse and rue des Vignes, the brothers produced a lovely claret wine that King Louis XIII liked to drink on his return from his hunts in the Bois de Boulogne.
The convent was disused during the French Revolution and its buildings destroyed.
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The Council of French Echansons
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Rehabilitated after 1950, the old cellars were used for a time as cellars for the Eiffel Tower restaurant before becoming the Musée du Vin, owned since 1984 by the Conseil des Echansons de France.
Founded in 1954, the Confrérie des Echansons de France aims to defend and promote the best wine appellations of our terroirs.
To this end, it organises a number of prestigious events in France and abroad, including here at the Museum.
It brings together thousands of professionals and wine lovers from around the world to ensure that the expertise and quality for which French wines are universally renowned are maintained.
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​The M...
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Today and since February 2023, a new generation of entrepreneurs has taken possession of the place and is starting a rejuvenation cure! 6 months of work are needed to give you a new experience in the worthy heritage of the Echansons de France presided over by Mr Claude Josse and his teams.
