TAKE A TRIP TO THE CITY OF WINE

GET YOUR passports ready, it’s time for a pilgrimage: The world now has a city of wine.  That’s right, La Cité du Vin recently opened in Bordeaux wine country and it is the equivalent of a theme park for grownups. But instead of Disney characters you get to hang out with Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and many, many more wines. The park has 2O themed areas and exhibits that interactively explain the culture and history of wine, a 25O-seat auditorium for screenings and classes, a simulator boat ride that shows what it was like to be a maritime merchant sailing across the globe, and expert-led tasting sessions. You can also listen to famous stories of drunkenness. But it’s not just about sipping.  The theme park says its mission is to promote and share the cultural, universal and living heritage of wine with the largest audience possible. Created by architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières of XTU Architects, the park’s design includes symbols of knotted vine stocks, wine turning in a glass, and the nearby Garonne river.  The park’s building spans ten levels and is meant to appear as though it’s flowing uninterrupted between its exterior and interior. La Cité du Vin expects to welcome 45O,OOO visitors yearly and admission tickets are about $22 each. It’s cheaper than a day at Disney . . . and seemingly a lot more fun!