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In the Vinothèque of the Hôtel de Paris
2010-05-13 14:19
Deep below the streets of Monte Carlo is a vast and mysterious cave, laboriously hewn from the rock over a period of 18 months in the 1870s. These are the cellars of the Hôtel de Paris, and the extraordinary feat was accomplished by 100 men under the direction of one woman, Marie Blanc, director of the Société des Bains de Mer.
Only rarely accessible to the public, the closely-guarded cellars are the most capacious in the world, with over half a million bottles of vintage wines - some of them two centuries old - stored in an astonishing 1500 metres of wine racks. Ten metres below ground, the temperature and humidity are kept at constant levels to ensure that the Margots and Montrachets remain in perfect condition.
The oldest and finest wines include valuable bottles of Pétrus and Chateau d'Yquem and - not for drinking - the only remaining 1811 'Roi de Rome' cognac from Sazerac-de-Forges et Fils, the penultimate bottle of which was consumed at the Hôtel de Paris by Winston Churchill. Talking of whom... during the war 20,000 bottles of the most highly valued wines were concealed in these very cellars. Despite the efforts of the occupying Nazi soldiers, they were never found
But perhaps all this gives the wrong impression. Despite its priceless treasures this is no dry and dusty archive. Ten cellarmen work here week in, week out; and every day 90% of the wines sold in the principality's restuarants undergo rigorous tastings to ensure they are fit to be added to the wine lists, and to help sommelliers to gauge the best serving temperature.
On paper, the cellar is valued at €10 million euros; but its real worth in terms of resale value cannot be calculated. In the words of Chef Caviste Iorio Gennaro, 'A great wine cellar is all about time, not money.'
© Jilly Bennett/Monte Carlo Daily Photo
Tours and wine-tastings dependent on availability: please contact hp@sbm.mc