La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux

If you appreciate wine, especially fine wine, visiting France’s Bordeaux region is likely one of your travel aspirations. In recent years, however, the city of Bordeaux, itself, has been rejuvenated into an appealing destination. The town’s finest attraction, opened in June 2016, is the remarkable La Cité du Vin.

My wife, Paula Owens, and I visited this institution (“museum” is too limiting) on Nov. 25, 2016, at the end of a river cruise with Viking Cruises. Something of a World’s Fair of wine, it was crowded even then, deep into the off-season.

The building, itself, is an architectural landmark. Its unique design has been described as a swirl of wine in a glass. A one-hour tour of its architecture (French only) takes place daily and costs €8 (near $9).

A visit to the facility begins on the busy ground floor, where there’s a store with all things wine-related (surprise!). You can arrange stops at wineries and plan the remainder of your Bordeaux region visit at the Wine Tours desk.

Latitude20, the wine bar (closed Mondays), is also located on this level. It serves “gourmet” snacks in a separate section and almost 50 different wines. You can also buy wine in their wine cellar, which has over 14,000 bottles.

At the museum ticket office, admission costs €20 (near $21), adult, but La Cité du Vin can be crowded, so the priority-access ticket, available for €25 online, is an option to consider.

The €81 million La Cité du Vin is a true multisensory experience. Highly interactive, playful, creative, state-of-the-art exhibits range from high tech (holograms as well as the terroir tables, described below) to low tech (e.g., flasks with squeeze bulbs for experiencing different aromas).

The permanent exhibition invites visitors “to discover wine… its imagery, its influence on world civilisations and regions through the millennia, particularly through history, geography, geology, oenology and the arts.” That’s, perhaps, a bit pretentious, but this is in France, and they take wine seriously.

The admission price covers the permanent exhibits and includes the use of a portable digital device (think large smartphone), which dangles from a neck strap, and headphones. 

This digital device was the most useful electronic guide I had ever encountered. For example, when you entered a theater with a performance in French under way, the device immediately provided an English translation over your headphones.

Temporary exhibits (costing extra), workshop areas and auditoriums are upstairs on the first floor. (Remember that European floor numbers are designated one digit higher than those in the US.) There were half a dozen workshop options at €15-€25 each, but they were offered only in French. 

The permanent exhibits, which we found extraordinary, are on the second floor, and that’s where we spent the bulk of our time. There was a lot going on there, but the layout was confusing and you could overlook exhibits. I strongly recommend that you study the facility’s comprehensive website in advance so you know what to expect.

The terroir tables were my favorite feature. After you selected a wine-producing region, interactive videos, maps, text and other information flowed across the tables’ angular surfaces. These were very well executed and effective.

The technology implemented is arguably the most creative and effective that I’ve experienced. Even children found it engaging.

Levels 3 to 6 are apparently closed to visitors. Both the seventh and eighth floors had to be accessed via elevators from the ground floor, so head downstairs next.

The seventh floor’s Restaurant Le 7 (open daily) offers fine dining, with more than 500 wines from 50 countries. Its glass walls provide views over the city. Seating is also available on its terrace.

The eighth floor, with the tasting room le belvédère, is where you sample a wine of your choice (or, for children, grape juice) at the end of your tour. Be sure to check out the 360-degree views of the city. There’s a narrow terrace outside, as well.

 La Cité du Vin (134 Quai de Bacalan 1, Esplanade de Pontac, 33300, Bordeaux, France; phone +33 5 56 16 20 20, www.lacitedu vin.com/en) is located on the east bank of the Garonne River just north of the Pont Jacques Chaban Delmas. 

It’s a pleasant 40-minute stroll along the river from Place de la Bourse or takes about half that time from the quay where river cruise ships dock. Its eponymous tram Line B stop is a 2-minute walk from the facility’s entrance.

La Cité du Vin is open daily, except Christmas, during most months but is closed Mondays, Jan. 1-Feb. 28. The average visit lasts over 2½ hours.

STEPHEN ADDISON
Charlotte, NC