News from Bordeaux

Bordeaux has debuted a magnificent wine museum called the "La Cité du Vin". Seven years in the making, this ambitious landmark on the banks of the Garonne is expected to welcome 450,000 visitors per year. Mayor Alain Juppé has called it “the Guggenheim of wine.”

There are multi-sensory wine workshops, entertaining exhibitions with all the latest technology, a boutique stocked with 14,000 different bottles and a rooftop wine bar, where you can savor a glass while taking in the views of the city. Additionally, a glass of wine is included in your ticket price: 20 euros. Note: Visitors can book vineyard tours directly with the Bordeaux Office of Tourism, which operates a desk on the ground floor. From the museum’s pontoon, boats depart for trips into the Bordeaux vineyards.

In fact, more and more river cruises are opening up routes from Bordeaux. If you haven’t been to this pretty city recently, now’s the time to go. A flurry of new restaurants have raised the gourmet caliber of the wine capital of the world with the efforts of celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay (at the Intercontinental Grand Hotel) and Philippe Etchebest (Le Quatrième Mur, Bordeaux Opera house). Star Chef Pierre Gagnaire has replaced Joël Robuchon at La Grande Maison Bordeaux.