The New Museum Every Wine Lover Has To Visit

It”s a first-of-its kind destination for oenophiles and wine newbies alike who want an immersive experience through the history and present day of wine. While the museum covers the global evolution of wine, it”s no coincidence that this wine mecca resides in the heart of the Bordeaux wine region. Plan your visit today and include a visit through our vineyards on your itinerary.  For more information about La Cité du Vin, read on for our interview with museum”s digital marketing director, Bénédicte Baggio-Catalan.

1. Who designed the architecture of the museum and what was the source of his inspiration? Does how long it took to build it?

The French architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières of XTU Architects based in Paris. They also collaborated with the agency Casson Mann, who designed the interactive experience in the permanent exhibition. In terms of their inspirations, they imagined a place full of symbols of identity: the gnarled vines, wine swishing into the glass, swirling like the Garonne. Every detail of the architecture evokes the soul of the wine and the liquid element – roundness seamless, immaterial and sensual. 

Photo by La Cité du Vin. More information about the architecture can be found here.  

2. What is the theme of the museum? What period and which regions does it cover? 

La Cité du Vin offers a journey through time and space to discover the wine culture, so we cover the entire historical period (thousands of years) and regions including countries where viticulture is extreme. The heart of The Wine City is “the permanent exhibition”, a trail of 20 themed areas.

3. What is the oldest item in the museum? 

There are not really objects, since the City of Wine is not a museum in the traditional sense. As museums, our mode of discovery is far from the classic codes. No permanent collection, but a free trail dotted with 20 themed areas, declaring the wine culture through an immersive and sensory journey. The last step leads to a tasting throughout the world of world of wine. In 2017, two major art exhibits will complement the visitor experience. Every summer, a guest vineyard be set up in the temporary exhibition room. From summer 2017, Georgia will be in the spotlight, one of the world viticulture cradles. On this occasion, historical objects will be staged, including qvevris, these large jars buried back more than 7000 years ago.

4. We have read that there are many interactive modules throughout the exhibition… what technological innovations can museum lovers expect? 

The goal of La Cité du Vin is to promote interactivity, offer an immersive experience and facilitate access of visitors to cultural heritage and the world of wine. In our permanent exhibition you will find:

– 50 Barco Projectors 

–   More than 100 players and BrightSign type of video servers and Modulo-Pi;

–   ≈ 200 screens;

–   ≈ 10 audio players and a hundred audio amplifiers serving nearly 200 speakers

–   + 20 motion detection cameras;

–   ≈ 40 odor machines

–   ≈ 300 infrared sensors ensuring the interactivity of a fleet of a thousand guests

–   Travel through thirty suprahubs

–   Infrared and all audiovisual broadcasting and multimedia equipment)

–   7 Medialon show-type controllers ensuring the orchestration and supervision of broadcasts 

5. Can wine can be enjoyed at the museum? If so, who will be in charge of the selection? 

Yes, the Belvedere, the last stage of permanent exhibition. On the 8th floor of La Cité du Vin, there is a gazebo which is the highlight of the visit of the permanent exhibition. There we invite you to discover the Gironde city differently, like a sentinel. In this space overlooking the river, atop the iconic building, visitors can admire 360 views of Bordeaux”s city, vineyards and surrounding areas.  This unique panoramic vision will create a natural continuity between the visit of the permanent exhibition and the highlight of this cultural experience: tasting a glass of wine from the best vineyards in the world. In partnership with many wine regions around the world, visitors will have the chance to taste a wine from an assortment of twenty wines regularly renewed. Of course, we also considered children! They too will discover a range of grape juice specially selected for them! In this exceptional space, a monumental chandelier made ​​of thousands of bottles as well as a 10-meter oak counter rounds out the space.