Along the rivers
Navigate the waters that have shaped the history of wine
Before the development of the railways in the 19th century, wine travelled in a variety of different ways to reach the markets and tables of wine lovers. Rivers were natural thoroughfares and offered the fastest and safest means of transport. It was thanks to these waterways that the major wine regions began to prosper and become known throughout Europe, acquiring access to ports that opened the doors to markets all around the world.
In this section of the Permanent Exhibition, embark on a journey through time through five animated picture frames showing maps and images from the past in connection with the major rivers used for centuries for transporting wine, and around which the major wine regions were born! Each picture frame presents a major period for a given river.
Discover the rivers and their wine regions:
- Follow the course of the ancient Rhône, which was a major commercial route in Roman Gaul, especially for wines which were brought over from all around the Roman Empire.
- Fast-forward to the Middle Ages and follow the Garonne and the Dordogne, which were vital arteries for the vineyards of South-West France, an area that belonged to the English crown at the time. Via the port of Bordeaux, their wines travelled all over northern Europe.
- Along the Rhine, the most romantic river that has often been celebrated by artists and poets, discover the vineyards from Switzerland to Germany and the heavy traffic in the port of Cologne in the late Middle Ages.
- Travel up the Seine, which used to supply the whole of Paris, and discover the local sailors and wine merchants.
- Journey along the Loire which, with its tributaries, flows through some 1,000 kilometres of winemaking regions, and discover how people harnessed it over the centuries and built a vast canal network to connect it to other major rivers.
- From its source in Spain to its mouth in the port of Porto, let yourself be enchanted by the craggy landscapes of the slopes along the river Douro and discover how it brought the wines born on its banks to the major wine cellars of Porto where it was aged and transformed to become the wines we know today.
Through this immersion in the past, you will see how river transport not only shaped the wine trade, but also led to the rise of great winemaking regions.
Book your visit to the Permanent exhibition to join us on this adventure and be swept away by tales of these historic waterways that still inspire the world of wine today.
With the support of
© Casson Mann, Clap 35