By Joan Gannij, to Museum Spotlight Europe
Time was of the essence the day I visited Cité du Vin along the tranquil banks of the River Garonne in Bordeaux, France. Composed of glass, metal and wood, with its bold curves and shapes, Cité du Vin does not resemble a recognizable structure. While one entrance faces the city, the other faces the river, creating an impression of movement; the museum’s indoor and outdoor spaces seem to ebb and flow.
Architecture and Grounds
The initial aim of the building’s unique architecture was to connect Cité du Vin with its gorgeous surroundings. According to Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières, the lead architects from the Paris-based XTU firm, the main tour follows these flows: wine, the river, visitors.
“You pass through the building like a river, with visitors becoming voyagers flowing around the central staircase, perpetuating this impression of movement. Every detail of the architecture evokes wine’s soul and liquid nature: intangible and sensual. Cité du Vin dazzles with a golden shimmer reminiscent of the light stone found on Bordeaux’s distinctive facades. Its own facade is made up of silk-screen printed glass panels and perforated, iridescent, lacquered aluminum panels. Changing with the sunshine or the time of day, the building dialogues with the river through its reflections: there are very close parallels with a wine’s constantly changing appearance. This very distinctive shape causes you to look at the river running past from a different perspective.”
The Wonders of Wine
One poster claimed: “The wine-producing world is one of innovation and inventiveness. Wine is not only a cultural product with a long history, it also reflects different trends in society.” Embark on this long history of a wine-producing world by journeying back to Antiquity and exploring over five continents.
Visitors could spend a whole day: exploring the reading room, attending a tasting workshop, watching a fascinating film about food and wine, visiting the 14,000 bottle wine cellar, or enjoying the garden terrace or rooftop. On the 8th floor, wine lovers will discover The Belvédère, a bar with a panoramic view of Bordeaux and a remarkable ceiling made from thousands of wine bottles!
Experience six universes divided into 18 modules, encompassing 3000 square meters; The permanent exhibition of La Cité du Vin invites you on a journey around the world of wine and the vine. One can learn how the posh potable has inspired people and shaped both their life and their territory for millennia. The timeless elixir has long been associated with France and its storied chateaux, traditions, vintages and rituals, from Beaune to Burgundy, Languedoc to the Loire Valley, and beyond. Don’t forget that wine dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. Dionysus, the Greek God of Fertility (known to Romans as Bacchus), later known primarily as the god of wine and pleasure, was often seen draped in vines of grapes. For centuries, wine was a necessity, as it was considered safer to drink than water.
The Exhibits
As you walk the designated route from one gallery to the next, heading upwards in a variation of New York’s Guggenheim Museum, you will engage in a variety of interactive, immersive, educational and dreamlike, multisensory experiences. Through projection on three giant screens extended to floor level, Vineyards from the Skies takes you on a virtual flight to discover the incredible diversity of wine-growing landscapes around the world, Twenty wine regions in 17 countries!
The World of Wine traces the spread of the vine across the planet. An A to Z list of countries, along with two maps of the globe present grape varieties around the world, unique climates for these varieties and key figures on every country’s wine-producing activity. We begin in the seven wine regions of France, where each variety of grape has its own pride of place within its noble terrain. You can revel in the mystique just by reverently whispering words like Medoc, Pomerol, Cheval Blanc, Montrachet. But these wines go beyond mystique and marketing. It’s all about expectation, sensation, gratification, satisfaction. And no need to worry about chauvinism, as attention is paid to unexpected countries like Japan and Romania, new world locations like Australia and New Zealand, and respected contenders like the United States, Italy, Spain, Portugal and South Africa.
Terroirs of the World introduces ten winegrowers from ten regions of the world who present the specific character of their terroir and its impact on their wines. The Vine features a spectacular animated vine which demonstrates the interaction between the soil, the plant and fruit. On the opposite wall, the diverse grape varieties of the world are displayed. As you proceed to the next area, you will be confronted with Modulor, a giant corkscrew whose function seems not only to astonish but to allow you to pause and “cleanse” your sensory palette for what is next to come. Created by the French artist Lilian Bourgeat, the monumental sculpture challenges and amuses as it plays with proportion and our perception of objects of everyday life seen in an unexpected context.
In The Gallery of Civilizations, you wander through ten rooms on an immersive journey from the earliest civilizations to the 20th Century, via Egyptian tombs, a Greek banquet, and splendid 19th Century Chateaux in England and France, among others. It is remarkable that with so many visitors passing through, the environment feels more like a spiritual sanctuary than a museum.
The Buffet of the 5 Senses provides an opportunity to discover the keys to tasting through an olfactory journey around the aromas and colors of wines, and I enjoyed this immensely, as well as the exhibits that followed.
Dinner is Served, an immersive cooking exhibit, invites you to take a seat at an imposing, illuminated table which is magically transformed hologram-style from one vintage to the next.
Wine Conquering the World takes you on a simulated voyage where you embark on a 50-seat boat, complete with smells, sounds, images and animations to discover wine transport through the ages, from ancient boats to modern container shops, and even space freighters.
Wine and Me asks, “If you were a wine, which would you be? This exhibit invites you to discover which wine best matches your personality, according to interviews with knowledgeable sommeliers, doctors, wine merchants and other experts. I listened to the sound of the champagne bottle being opened and smiled.
The final exhibition, The Epic Tale of Bordeaux, reveals how a land of mythical wines was born from a major trading port.
I found the experience to be fascinating and informative, if not a bit overstimulating. Without having enjoyed a glass of wine, my senses were pleasantly sated, reinforcing the theory that less can often be more.
While You’re Here
When in Bordeaux, what else to spend time discovering than food and wine? After my Saturday visit to Cité du Vin, I hopped across the road to discover the fabulous indoor/outdoor food hall, Les Halles de Bacalan (15 Quai du Maroc). Les Halles was impressive for its diverse selection of cuisine which offered a wealth of bread and pastries, cheeses, and delectable fruits de mer. There were dozens of regional delights to choose from, including Japanese and Thai, Greek and Italian, Middle East. A unique treat for creole cuisine, l’ȋle de la Réunion offers spicy variations of shrimp and duck, with tasty fish and vegetable croquettes. Surrounded by water and an azure sky, this is clearly the spot for locals and hungry visitors to enjoy al fresco dining and snacking in warm weather.
Written July 2024
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