Since 2016, the Cité du Vin in the Bacalan district of Bordeaux has been an exhibition space dedicated to wine.
The project to build a cultural and tourist center dedicated to wine was launched in 2009 by Alai Juppé, mayor of Bordeaux.
The idea was to build a monument, halfway between a museum and a theme park, to “transmit, promote, and preserve the universal and living cultural heritage of wine.”
The foundation has two renowned ambassadors, actor Pierre Arditi and wine taster and critic Robert Parker.
To bring this project to fruition, the promoters had to fight against criticism from the National Association for Alcohol and Addiction Prevention, which sees the celebration of wine as promoting the harmful effects of its consumption.
An amendment to the Evin law even had to be passed in 2015 to allow “journalistic or wine tourism content dealing with a production region or the cultural, gastronomic, or landscape heritage linked to an alcoholic beverage not be considered advertising.”
To carry out its missions, the foundation is responsible for the operation and development of La Cité du Vin, made available by the city of Bordeaux, which owns the building.
The building's rounded shape, both inside and out, was designed by architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières from the XTU agency and by the English scenography agency Casson Mann Limited, who wanted to create an iconic building with high visibility.
The structure is shaped like a gnarled vine “to evoke both wine swirling in a glass and the eddies of the Garonne River, which borders the site.”
The 9,000 m3 concrete building rests on 300 concrete piles extending to a depth of 30 meters. The structure is covered with 918 glass panels in three colors: light green, gray (dyed throughout), and gold, and 2,300 aluminum panels of different sizes. Its facade consists of screen-printed glass panels and perforated iridescent lacquered aluminum panels. The tower rises to a height of 55 meters.
In total, the building covers an area of 13,350 m².
A site worth seeing
The 35-meter-high belvedere offers a unique experience of discovering the wines of the world, where you can enjoy a glass of wine with a panoramic view of Bordeaux and its surroundings.
- A rich and varied cultural program: the Thomas Jefferson auditorium and reception areas host meetings, concerts, and screenings.
- Three areas are dedicated to tasting workshops.
- The reading room, accessible free of charge, offers a wide selection of books on the world of wine.
- The boutique, a 250 m² concept store with free access, offers a selection of objects, books, limited edition items, gifts, and souvenirs
- Two dining areas: the Latitude20 brasserie and snack bar on the ground floor and the panoramic restaurant Le 7 on the 7th floor
- A wine cellar with bottles from over 70 countries around the world
- Freely accessible gardens, green spaces that create a link between La Cité du Vin, the Garonne River, and the wild origins of the vine
La Cité du Vin
134, Quai de Bacalan,
33300 Bordeaux
Tel.: +33 (0)5 56 16 20 20
Translated with DeepL.com
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