The idea to create something similar to the "City of Wine" came to the mayor of Bordeaux Alan Juppa back in 1995, and in 2011, as a result of a competition that collected 114 applications, a poetic interpretation of the "soul of wine" proposed by the Parisian architectural bureau XTU and English experts on exhibition design by Casson Mann Limited.
A place
The site where the museum is built is iconic in itself: Bordeaux Harbor is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The new building appeared in the bend of the Garonne River, at the two port basins (Bassins à flot). The “genius of the place” here is undoubtedly a river, which served as one of the sources of inspiration for the architects: in the flowing forms of the building, one can recognize the bends of the river Garonne.
Form
The image of the building seems to be born out of movement: horizontals and verticals merge together and tend upward in a spiral. In relation to the traditional architecture of the city, such a building is a strong architectural gesture. Describing their project, XTU architects talk a lot about the search for the “soul of wine” - here both the spiral of the vine and the association with the circular movement of wine in the glass. The appearance of the building expresses fluidity and sensuality. Reflections of the river in the façade and the façade in the river water “aquarelle” blur the image of La Cité du Vin. The new building is often compared to a decanter - a decanter, where wine is poured before drinking to saturate with oxygen, but the authors of the project, Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Demazière, prefer the metaphor of a lighthouse.
Design
The structure of the 55-meter building is a concrete and steel frame, complemented by glued wood arches (mostly spruce). There are 574 such arches, and they are all different in size and profile and therefore were made individually. The use of glued timber has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of the building. The frame is sheathed with 3,000 curved glass and aluminum panels - also of various shapes and sizes - with a total area of about 4,000 m2. The aluminum is varnished in different colors.
Wood occupies an important place both in construction and in interior decoration: it is a reference to wooden barrels, without which winemaking is impossible.
Exposure and special effects
The main space of the museum is occupied by a permanent exhibition, which, unfolding in a spiral around the courtyard, guides the visitor along the path from the birth of wine to its consumption. At the same time, the museum also tells about the history of winemaking, which began around 6500 BC. Here you can get acquainted with the wine culture of five continents, view the exhibitions "Vineyards of the World" and "Wine and Art". The exposition includes multimedia and 3D special effects; according to the creators, it complements the taste sensations (a visit to such a place cannot do without tasting) with tactile and visual sensations.
There are three tasting rooms on the second level. The first received a "luxurious" interior made of red velvet, the second has a planetarium-like ceiling, which demonstrates the "universe of wine", the third, in the form of a boat, is equipped with huge screens: it tells the story of the maritime wine trade, and creates sound and visual effects. the feeling of traveling on a ship. Of course, the hall remains motionless at the same time, but some visitors, by their own admission, feel sick: everything turned out so believable.
On the lower level there is a large auditorium, and at the very top, at a height of 35 meters, there is a Belvedere with a view of the city and the river.
Ecology
As the City of Wine is located in the eco-quarter Bassins à flot, it was important to minimize its impact on the environment. The double skin of the building is highly efficient; also protects the interior from sunlight and heat with a silk-screened pattern applied to the glass panels. Local and green energy sources provide about 70% of the building's needs. A natural ventilation scheme is used. It is envisaged to use rainwater for cleaning the territory and irrigating landscaping, which is included in the ecosystem of the Garonne and, like in the entire eco-quarter, is aimed at restoring the water protection forest belt.
Perspective development
It is expected that the "City" will be visited by 450,000 tourists a year. The cellars of the "City of Wine" store 14,000 bottles of wine from 80 countries: an entrance ticket for 20 euros includes a glass of wine.
Soon, the complex will be supplemented by a five-star hotel with 150 rooms and a shopping center, and it will be possible to get there by water - on shuttle ships, which are planned to be launched along the Garonne.
