Crafts & Traditions

150 years of history of Caves BYRRH, thanks to founders Simon and Pallade VIOLET, originally from the Pyrénées Orientales.
Simon, using his knowledge of wine and plants, and out of love for his wife, tries to improve a decoction of cinchona bark, reputed to be good for health, to make it drinkable. He added wine, then spices and herbs, and decided to sell this elixir as a medicinal product in 1866. A few years later, the VIOLET brothers had to find a name for their drink, register the trademark and sell it only as an aperitif.

In 1873, the BYRRH aperitif was born. From then on, the brand grew considerably. The small family business continued for 3 generations and never stopped breaking records: the world’s largest cellar, the world’s largest oak vat holding 1,000,200L, a station concourse built by the Gustave Eiffel workshops.

Forerunners in marketing and communications, the VIOLET brothers also created a major advertising poster competition, took part in most of the world’s fairs and travelled the globe with their 40 branches. The heyday came in 1935, with over 700 staff hired and more than 35 million bottles delivered.

This veritable museum of the fabulous BYRRH saga is managed by the Aspres Thuir Intercommunal Tourist Office, under the governance of the Communauté de Communes des Aspres.