« This is not a simple event, it is permanent, eternal, and its expansion will never stop » Paul Ricard 1958.

Paul Ricard chose this island to open a museum on 12 July 1958, a museum dedicated to keep a “complete and permanent encyclopaedia of wine and spirits”, which is the Universal Exhibition of Wines and spirits.

Since its 50 first years of its existence, the EUVS has been assembling a collection of 8,000 bottles of wines and spirits from all over the world, as well as glassware, crystal, labels, restaurant menus and wine lists dating from the 1860s. This collection offers a unique insight into how brands and drinks have evolved over the years. The EUVS hosted over recent decades a large number of conferences on wines and spirits.

In 2007, under the direction of two historians specialised in spirits and cocktails, Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown, a team of European experts and volunteers agreed to deal the conservation of the museum, including cleaning, repairs, historical research and documentation.

The directors of the exhibition are working to create a free internet library on www.euvs.org with a database of all bottles as well as information on lists of wines and beverages, a compendium of different distillations and records of different cocktails.

The Universal Exhibition of Wines and spirits also offers archive assistance in its offices for journalists specialised in wines and spirits through all over the world.

The EUVS is much more than a collection, it is a unique concept and provides an overview over past and present wines and spirits industry and its cultural influence.

For all request, for further information, groups, guided visits, hire for private events – closing from October to May.