Bordeaux’s Urban Wine Trail, Bordeaux, France

Bordeaux may bring to mind rolling vineyards speckled with chateaus and streams that flow from the Atlantic Coast. This isn’t an untruth, but the city of Bordeaux is, in fact, a port city set on the Garonne famed for its fermented exports sourced from the region. A growing metropolis, Bordeaux is the site of start-ups, a new wave of entrepreneurial and community spirit, and several establishments to delve into Bordelais wines, often with a side of Basque tapas or the fixings of a French apéro. Here, even museums are dedicated to the matter.

At La Cite du Vin ticket teller I discovered my arrival was perfectly timed to take A Glass of Wine in Markets of the World class. I jumped at the opportunity and while the price of the museum and class is hefty—some 40 euros with the combined discount—it was well worth it in the museum’s impressive curation and in my four glasses of wine. The class itself is held in a large dome where the teacher is at the center and each of the participants takes a seat and table reminiscent of a trendy Air France lounge. The tour begins with a simulation of a market experience— the lights dim and the walls become screens beaming imagery from an undisclosed area but showcasing its vegetation and landscape all to the hum of recorded sounds to bring you to the area. Essential oils highlighting key herbs to said undisclosed landscape was infused through the room—all of which left us to guess both the locale and essential infusions in the wine. This was quite fun, but I haven’t got a strong sense of smell so all the aromas were lost on me. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).