La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux, France: The World’s Premier Wine Museum

See Wineries of the World Virtually, Via Four Seasons Sensory Experience

La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux, France, XTU Architects, Photo: Anaka

During my France press tour this summer I revisited La Cité du Vin wine museum. Opened in 2016 the museum was conceived by a public-private partnership and is dedicated to exploring the World’s wine cultures and civilizations. American Friends of La Cite du Vin made the first commitment to funding the Thomas Jefferson Auditorium, named after the famous wine lover American President, who helped to foster and enrich Franco-American relations. The museum has hosted 2 million visitors, with almost half coming from abroad. Between February and December 2023, the Cité du Vin welcomed 385,000 general public visitors from nearly 100 different nationalities, bringing the total number of visitors since its opening to more than 2.7 million people. Last year they hosted 535 corporate events, too. My photographers, Wendy and Brian Hatfield and I were in good company.

The Paris-based firm XTU Architects led by Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Demazières designed the museum which boasts 574 curved arches, 128 customized laminated spines, 925 glass panels, and 1000 tons of steel at a construction cost of €81 Million.

This year we are visiting both the Permanent Exhibitions as well as Via Sensory, the new one- hour tour of the four seasons, combining artistic elegance and seasonal beverage pairings from around the world. This is a “must-see” visit in Bordeaux. Audio guides are available in French, English, Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese. For my paid subscribers, continue to read about the Four Seasons Via Sensoria Experience, the 360-Degree vista, the “Vineyards from the Skies” flight over the vineyards of the world, and some new wine recommendations.

The Living Vine Exhibit, Photographer: Wendy Hatfield