The Fondation du Patrimoine, headed by Stephan Bern, recently awarded the Caves de Byrrh a sum of 60,000 euros for the restoration of the oak vats.
These vats are close to the largest oak vat in the world.
Since 1866, this is where the Byrrh aperitif, made from cinchona, has been produced, a recipe invented by Simon Violet.
At the beginning, he delivered the goods himself in a modest carriage.
The success was immediate and never denied. Over the years, Les Caves Byrrh has become one of the most powerful companies in the world.
The hologram of the Chevalier Printemps, created by the star illustrator Georges Léonnec in the 1930s, welcomes you on arrival.
In an old cistern with a capacity of 680,000 liters, transformed into a projection room, you watch a film that retraces the saga of the Byrrh industrial empire, from the arrival of the two Violet brothers in Thuir to the start of their activity.
The next step leads to the heart of the "tool loft" where you can admire old presses, vintage crimping machines, dusty old tools... with a soundtrack of cellar noises.
Outside, at the end of the alley, you enter a room called "the cathedral". It contains seventy casks for 15 million liters. It is also in this immense room with a very high ceiling that the largest oak vat in the world is located.
It can contain 1 000 200 liters! It is 10m high and 12m in diameter. It took 15 years to build it.
Surrounded by steel logs, it weighs 17 tons empty, 100 tons full. A unique mastodon on earth!
The tour continues inside a wagon where you will see a projection that shows you the shipping hall, also called the Eiffel station. From there, more than thirty million liters of Byrrh were shipped in all directions on earth to serve 350,000 customers.
The visit ends with a tasting in the historic kiosk dating from 1891. Entirely made of wood, it has been to all the world fairs in Paris, Moscow...
A magnificent jewel. There, you will taste the three Byrrhs, the traditional one aged for 3 years in oak barrels with a white and red label, and its two variations. The Millésimé contains the best vintages, aged between 15 and 20 years in oak barrels and finally the Grand Quinquina .
Byrrh Cellars
Boulevard Violet
B.P. 25
66300 Thuir
Tel : 04 68 57 51 73
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