France Made A Theme Park Dedicated to Wine

Charles Dickens, the English author of his much-appreciated book, A Tale of Two Cities, said wine flowed in the streets of Paris. France is coming true to its descriptions when we look at La Cité du Vin (City of Wine) which took seven years into making.

La Cité du Vin is located on the banks of the Garonne River in the Bassins à Flot district of Bordeaux wine country, which is a five-and-a-half-hour drive from the capital of Paris. Opening on 1st of June, it approaches its 20 themed areas and exhibits in a Disney Land way. In a true park fashion, there is a 250-seat auditorium for screenings, a simulator boat riding, and all. For hangovers, there's an enormous plush chair where you can sit, listening to famous stories of inebriation. And if your French is poor, there's a digital guide that will deliver needed information in real time, in any of the eight selected languages.

Serious wine drinking accompanies Bordeaux, and there are expert wine tasting sessions using stock from over 80 countries. The tasting experience involves a multi-sensory space with 3D images, moving sets, and olfactory whiffs. The goal, says director Philippe Massol according to CN Traveler, is to make La Cité du Vin the world's largest cultural center of wine; a Guggenheim for grape lovers.

For staying purposes, there's a six-room wine-themed mansion and restaurant which has 168 Grands Crus Classés in the cellar. The two-star Michelin restaurant, specializes in haute Bordelaise cuisine, can be overseen by Gagnaire.

Bordeaux's chateaux culture can be experienced beyond La Cité du Vin. There are two wine bars that should be looked out for - are Aux Quatre Coins de Vin, an oddball hipster joint with card-operated wine automats, and the École du Vin de Bordeaux, a wine school in name but is more of suited for pre-dinner dates. They fall in the glimpses of UNESCO World Heritage-listed old town, which is an area so pleasant for walking around and taking trams.