Bordeaux (France) | Le Cité du Vin (The City of Wine) - Day 60

After a leisurely start to my day, I head for the Cité du Vin (City of Wine) today. The Cité du Vin is located in the northern part of Bordeaux along the Garonne River. It is one of the premier immersive wine museums in the world. I don't spend many days in museums during my travels. Instead, I save museum days for special occasions, like today when the weather is hot, and the experience is immersive.

After, I hop off the tram and head for Les Halles Bacalan near the museum. It is an open-air farmers' market with a variety of vendors, and although it has only been open for around 5 years, the market is quickly gaining fame as a go-to place for foodies. The area is bustling with activity, and a strong Spanish contention is making a raucous while they cheerfully sing along to the music. It is quite a spectacle, and they are having a lot of fun. Finally, I order an assortment plate of 10 little prepared baguette bread pieces (tapas) and a glass of Sangria. Each has a unique flavor, and the Sangria is a delicious, fruity, and refreshing compliment to the meal. 

La Cité du Vin is an odd-looking ultra-modern building. The museum has a permanent exhibit dedicated to the art, culture, and history of worldwide wine-making. They also have a temporary exhibition.  Currently, it is a Picasso exhibit, the Effervescence of Shapes. The fee for permanent display includes a wine tasting, located on the 8th floor of the Belvedere. The entire experience takes over 3 hrs to complete, and could easily take longer. Looking carefully at the picture below, you can see people halfway up the Belvedere (round tower), enjoying their tasting.

The site functions as much more than a museum, though. They have a variety of workshops and events centered around wine. The permanent exhibit is situated on the second floor, which is actually the 3rd floor. The French have this weird system by which they call the first floor (lobby) the 0 floor and the basement -1floor. Or maybe we are the weird ones not recognizing a 0 floor, I am not sure.

As I enter, I am handed a small tablet, where I can choose from 20 different languages, and a headset. The tutorial informs me that if I place my tablet close to specific Bluetooth signals on the exhibit, the tablet will start playing the program for that station in the language I choose; in my case, it is English. The script is fully interactive with the touchscreens on the displays. As I explore a topic, the narration follows along. I am free to choose and listen to as much or little as I want.

The experience begins with an 8-minute film on wine regions of the world; here is a short preview. 

It then then takes me on a profound tour of wine by sharing the origins of wine regions worldwide. For example, I learned that all grapes descend from an ancient area near where Armenia is today. Although Greeks are credited with initially transplanting grapes, the Romans are famous for expanding the range of grapes and wine-growing regions throughout Europe. Here is an abridged history of some of the significant inflection points along the timeline from 4,000 BC to the modern day.

Another exhibit that stands out is the interactive display where winegrowers worldwide are interviewed to discuss terroirs (site characteristics) that influence the quality and taste of the grapes in their region. Although all grapes are related, wines produced in a specific terroir are unique to that site. So, for example, a wine producer in Chile will never be able to make a wine that tastes like French wine. And similarly, even the most refined French Chateâus will never be able to reproduce the tastes of Chilean wine. Both are constrained by the soils, temperatures, humidity, and stresses the grapes endure during the growing season. Here is a brief video on the terroirs, which also shows how the tablets work.

However, it is the sensory experience that steals the show. Various objects are contained within glass containers that are intended to help visitors understand the complex aromas of wines. The first table is dedicated to the smells of red wines. The second table is reserved for white wines. There is some overlap; however, both tables have unique fragrances. There must be 20 different stations on each table. The main page of the La Cité du Vin website briefly shows how this works.

This was an excellent way to spend an afternoon. I learned so much about wine, its origins, and its nuances; it is the perfect foundation for diving deeper into wines. In addition, Bordeaux has another museum specific only to the Bordeaux wine region. I have no intention of visiting that one. I am sure it is a nice museum, but I've reached my quota of museums in France! lol!

I make my way to the same square where Chez Jean is located as I like the atmosphere, and I know there are  several other restaurant options there. I notice Escargots are on the entrée menu of one restaurant, so I decide to find a table. I enjoyed Bullots, a tiny sea snail, when I was in Nice, so why not try its larger earthbound cousin? The runner brings out the plate of Escargots. Hmmm. Something is missing. All I have is a fork and butter knife. As I sit patiently waiting, I start contemplating how to go caveman on these snails as I am starving. None of my ideas involve anything that wouldn't make a complete mess of this plate. lol! Fortunately, another waiter brings me the necessary utensils, the clamp and the tiny fork. The Escargots are prepared with fresh pesto. They are interesting, not nearly as delicious as the Bullots. Very tender but some have a bit of an "earthy" taste. Would I eat them again? Sure. Is it something I want to eat at every meal? Probably not.

The main plate is a shrimp spaghetti pasta. The flavors are amazing, the shrimp are cooked perfectly. The pasta on the other hand leaves a lot to be desired. The pasta is overcooked mush with a few places where several strands have clumped together. Not what I would expect in France. Maybe on a Monday night back home when I am distracted watching a football game while making dinner. lol! As I sit here thinking about this, I laugh at myself. I think I am now officially a food snob! How did I become a food critic all of a sudden? lol!

I decide to cross off any restaurants within a block of this square. Back to back sub-par dinners. Life is too short to eat bad food. It doesn't have to be expensive, simply fresh and well prepared!