"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 gathered a collection of 8,000 bottles of wines and spirits from worlwide, 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 intented to journalists specialised in wines and spirits through the world.

The EUVS is not only a collection,  but also a unique concept and provides an overview on the History of wines and spirits industry and its cultural influence.

Museum open in July and August - Free admission

For further information, private events or group guided visits off-season, please contact Bendor Island administration (tel. +33 (0)4 94 29 44 34 -Monday to Friday, during office hours- or e-mail).