The French cultural institution in Bordeaux consists of a wine museum and a wine-themed theme park. It was opened in May 2016 in the presence of French President François Hollande. The facility is located in the northern district of Bacalan in the port district "Port de la Lune" on the left bank of the Garonne. The impressive building features 2,500 reflective aluminium panels on the façade of the 55-metre-high tower. It is meant to symbolise a sparkling wine in a wine glass. The facility covers a total area of 13,350 square metres (that's 1.3 hectares), spread over ten levels between the hull-shaped torus and tower.
The offer includes a cultural programme in the Thomas Jefferson Auditorium, named after the third US president, with performances, concerts and demonstrations, three tasting areas, a reading room, a boutique (objects, books, souvenirs), three gastronomy areas and the "Routes du Vin" area (information about the wine-growing region, booking of wine tours). The heart of the Cité du Vin is a permanent exhibition on the 2nd floor, where the cultural, civilisational, heritage and universal dimensions of wine can be discovered on an area of 3,000 m² with 19 thematic modules. See also the video clip (click to view) with a tour of the building, as well as under Viticultural Institutions.
Image: Mamie Boude/Cité du Vin/XTU Architects
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