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| La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux |
It’s probably safe to say that if you live in or simply adore France, you have more than a passing interest in wine. I’m a fan, but by no means an expert. To be honest, I have trouble detecting any distinct flavors, much less aromas, textures or attitudes in most wine. And the four-euro bottle of vin rouge I pick up at my local Saturday morning market suits me just fine.
My wine knowledge may be wanting, but on a recent day trip to Bordeaux I jump at the chance to visit the new La Cité du Vin. La Cité opened in June 2016 and quickly has become a popular attraction for both tourists and residents. Allow me to cut to the chase: La Cité du Vin is amazing!
The building is an architectural masterpiece. Its gilded curves seem to pour into the Garonne river, which provided inspiration to the building’s architects, Nicolas Desmazieres and Anouk Legendre from the Parisian agency XTU. Inside is a hands-on feast of everything wine. I spend two hours here, and easily could have spent six. Despite its pricey 20 euro admission, La Cité has rocketed to the top of my list of places to bring out-of-town guests.
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| A model of La Cité is part of the current temporary exhibition at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux. |
From its spacious ground level, I walk up the stairs to the first floor where the 720-square-meter Salle des Colonnes houses temporary exhibitions. Currently, a collection of brilliant photographs by Isabelle Rozenbaum is on display. Rozenbaum was given carte blanche to chronicle the construction of La Cité from the ground up. Her photographs are accompanied by entries from her journal containing thoughts as artistic as her photography. Here’s an excerpt:
“Finally I find a large dark staircase which I climb to the fifth floor and head out onto the light-flooded Belvedere. Amid the whiteness of the space, I see people performing a variety of motions, all impossible to represent just as they are, otherwise the sunlight is dazzling my eyes. Close them. Reopen them. Look up. Look differently. Settle. Adjust my outlook. Clarify my vision. Allow a new vision to emerge inside me. Feel the movement of these people at work.”
—Isabelle Rozenbaum
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| This photograph of the construction of La Cité by Isabelle Rosenbaum is part of the temporary exhibition at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux. |
The temporary exhibition,Carte blanche for Isabelle, runs through Dec. 31, 2016.
The second floor is the heart of La Cité — a 3,000-square-meter space designed by the English firm Casson Mann, which contains the permanent collection. Here, visitors can explore 19 themed areas. I am given a headset and audio guide programmed to English— my indispensable and personal guide through La Cité.
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| The World Wine Tour section at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux |
During my time here, I go on a worldwide vineyard tour, wander through the Gallery of Civilisations, ask a “virtual” expert a few questions about wine, and enjoy a “buffet of the five senses.” Today, I barely scratch the surface of La Cité’s more than 200 exhibits.
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| Wine Portraits at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux teach visitors about the diversity of wine. |
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| The Buffet of the Five Senses section of La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux offers visitors a hands- and nose-on experience. |
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| One of the displays in the Buffet of the Five Senses section at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux |
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| A display of ancient wine vessels in the Gallery of Civilisations at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux |
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| Tiny hologram figures perform a skit in a diorama at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux. |
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| Visitors can sit and contemplate the dark side of over-indulgence at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux. |
All too soon, I note that it’s getting late and I had better think about meeting my friends for the bus ride home. This leaves me only enough time to ride the elevator from the ground floor to the le belvédère where a panoramic view of Bordeaux is served up, along with a wine tasting. I have to make a choice between the tasting and a stop in la boutique, and I opt to shop, treating myself to a souvenir visitors guide.
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| Wine tasting on the 8th floor of La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux |
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| Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas is spectacular from the top floor of La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux. |
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| Boats anchored on the Garonne as seen from the top floor of La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux |
Much more than a wine museum, La Cité hosts wine workshops, seminars, live performances and conferences. Its reading room contains more than 1,200 wine-related publications. And since I’m American, I proudly note that the 250-seat state-of-the-art auditorium is named for Thomas Jefferson for his “special contribution to promoting and enriching Franco-American relations by establishing the reputation of European wines in the United States and throughout the world,” (according to the visitors guide).
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| The reading room at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux contains more than 1,200 wine-themed books and publications. |
La Cite du Vin is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Find all the information you need including directions and upcoming special events on www.laciteduvin.com.
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| La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux |
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