Hermitage Museum: Tsarist Wine Culture

The Hermitage holds 3 million artworks - and the ghosts of Tsarist wine culture. Catherine the Great's Tokay collection, the champagne that flowed at imperial balls. The Winter Palace saw it all.

What to do there

3 things to do

1. 1 Walk Palace Square — See Where the Balls Began History · Free

   Stand before the Winter Palace where imperial galas shaped European wine culture

   Imperial carriages once pulled up to this 160-meter neoclassical facade for champagne galas where Catherine the Great ruled from behind these very columns. Palace Square (Dvortsovaya Ploshchad) frames the Winter Palace where every imperial ball, every state dinner, every moment of Tsarist excess unfolded. Take metro to Nevsky Prospekt station, walk the square perimeter — you're tracing the exact route nobles took arriving for evening receptions. The palace turns amber at golden hour when photographed from the square's center.

   Backup: If weather is severe, the colonnade of the General Staff Building (across the square) provides shelter and still frames the palace perfectly.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Tour the State Rooms — Walk Where Champagne Flowed History · Price: moderate

   The Jordan Staircase, Nicholas Hall, and Malachite Room where Tsarist wine culture was on full display

   The Jordan Staircase once hosted cavalry riding horses for imperial arrivals, leading to Nicholas Hall — Russia's largest ballroom at 1,103 square meters where champagne culture flourished. Enter via the Hermitage main entrance (Palace Square side) and follow crowds to State Rooms first before exhausting yourself on painting galleries. Every room displays court life paintings where wine appears constantly in toasts, feasts, diplomatic dinners — wealth displayed through wine was the point. Book online at hermitagemuseum.org for timed entry (saves 1-2 hours), allow 2.5 hours minimum, and grab the audio guide (500 RUB) for context on wine-political ceremonies.

   Backup: If you arrive without tickets and it's sold out, the exterior state room windows from Palace Square show gilded interiors and chandelier heights.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Descend to the Gold Collection — Touch Imperial Wine Vessels Wine · Price: high · Optional

   Scythian drinking cups and Catherine the Great's wine collection in the Hermitage vaults

   Scythian gold drinking vessels from 4th-7th century BC prove wine culture in this region predates champagne by 2,000+ years, housed in the Hermitage's basement treasure vaults alongside Catherine the Great's personal wine cups. The Gold Collection (Treasure Gallery) requires separate tickets with limited entry — 30 people per group, 4 sessions daily. Book 1-2 days ahead at hermitagemuseum.org/en/tickets (additional ~800-1000 RUB) as they sell out. In small groups descending to basement vaults, ask guides specifically about imperial wine collecting practices — Catherine imported Tokay, Sauternes, and Rhine wines.

   Backup: If Gold Collection is fully booked, the Pavilion Hall (no separate ticket needed) features the Peacock Clock and imperial decorative arts — another marker of tsarist excess and import culture.

   Log Memory