Bordeaux part 1: city wine bars and Cite du Vin

I’ve just returned from a short holiday in Bordeaux and I thought I’d give you an overview of my wine-related activities. Part one focuses on the city, with part two, published in about a week’s time, taking in trips to Margaux and Pauillac, where I visited some chateaux.

Cite du Vin

Even if you’re not particularly into wine, it’s worth checking out the Cite du Vin, a fantastic wine museum located in the Bacalan area of Bordeaux next to the Garonne river (accessible by the B tram).

The permanent exhibition is billed as ‘an immersive and sensory experience’, a potentially ambitious claim when you consider what most museums are like, but this is what you get, with a panoramic ‘Vineyards from the Skies’ film, an interactive ‘Terroirs of the World’ section, where famous viticulturalists explain the unique characteristics of their terroir of regions ranging from Santorini, Barossa Valley and the Mosel to name a few, and a ‘Buffet of the Senses’, where you get a chance to test your sense of smell and identify aromas typically found in wine.

The unique exterior of the Cite du Vin

There is also a film about the vinegrower’s year, a gallery of civilisations and sections on vine growing, winemaking and the history of the Bordeaux wine region.

Additional wine tasting workshops are also available as well as a vast library with books in both French and English. The exhibition ends with a visit to the seventh floor – the Belvedere – for some stunning views of the city of Bordeaux and its famous surrounding wine regions. A complimentary glass of wine is included in the price of the permanent exhibition.

Even if you already have a vast knowledge of wine, you will learn something at the Cite du Vin.

Wine bars

I went to a few bars, but owing to time constraints there were many that I sadly had to omit. Here’s where I visited:

Bar a Vin

Bang in the centre of Bordeaux opposite the tourist office. The perfect place to sample good-quality wines by the glass in styles reflecting the region.

If you stay at Bar a Vin for a while you can work your way through Bordeaux, starting with some whites from Blaye and Pessac-Leognan, moving on to reds from the generic Cotes de Bordeaux appellation before exploring better-quality reds from the Haut-Medoc, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. If you’ve got real stamina you can also sample the sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac.

The Bar a Vin wine list

I limited myself to a single glass, Chateau Dauzac’s  ‘Aurore de Dauzac’ 2020, the second wine from the famed Margaux producer. At just eight euros this was tremendous value (an equivalent glass at a London restaurant would probably cost you three times that price), showing excellent typicity of a Left Bank Bordeaux red, with black fruit, ‘cigar box’ tobacco  and a savoury, cedary finish. Small plates, such as a cheese board and foie gras, can also be ordered.

Wine More Time

On Rue St James, a pretty pedestrianised street to the west of the Porte de Bourgogne tram stop. The wine list at Wine More Time contains plenty of Bordeaux as well as other French regions. Also stocks an extensive range of bottles to drink on the premises. The cheese board is good value. I tried Domaine de Grandmaison’s 2021 white from Pessac-Leognan, which is on the fresh side for whites from that AOC, with no oak influence. It was okay for 8.50 euros.

Wine and cheese at Wine More Time

Nearby there is also Le Metropolitain and Au Bon Jaja, which both have a decent range of natural wines (if that’s more your thing). I didn’t have time to stop for a drink at either but I took a look inside Au Bon Jaja, which has an alternative feel to it and is open until midnight.

Aux 4 coins du vin

About a five-minute walk from the Place de la Bourse to the south-west of that big square. This is a self-service bar that uses enomatics.

They give you a card containing 30 euros’ worth of credit and you settle up when you leave. Not much Bordeaux to choose from here, and the one I opted for, a generic red by Famille Fournier Chateau Tour le Pin, wasn’t up to much (although it only cost six euros). However, Aux 4 coins du vin stock an interesting range encompassing other countries – the one that caught my eye, but which I didn’t have time to try, was a Mosel spatburgunder by Daniel Twardowski – as well as other regions in France. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

Owing to time constraints the one that got away was Max Bordeaux, which also uses enomatics and has an extensive range of Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux. A visit there will be expensive as the wine on offer is top-notch, but definitely one for the Bordeaux aficionados.

Wine shops

There are three decent wine shops in the Grand Theatre area of the city. L’Intendant is an attractive shop with a spiral staircase and three levels. It stocks a comprehensive range of Grand Cru Classe wine from all the top chateaux, as does the newly opened La Cave du Chateau at Place Tourny. For some bargains I recommend La Vinotheque de Bordeaux next to the tourism office.

The spiral staircase at L’Intendant

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Flight 31

Chateau Puygueraud 2018, Francs, Cotes de Bordeaux (£17.50 Wine Society)
I had this a few weeks ago but it seems apt to include it in this post. Produced by George Thienpont from the family that also owns Vieux Chateau Certan and Le Pin. If you can’t afford wines from those two chateaux (probably likely), then Puygueraud is an excellent alternative and this wine is tremendous value. 85 per cent merlot, with the rest of the blend made up of cabernet franc and malbec, this is extremely expressive on the nose (black fruit, liquorice, leather and sweet spice). Full bodied and great structure – will develop for a few more years yet. I managed to get hold of the 2016 while I was in Bordeaux and am looking forward to trying that.

Gaspar Cabernet Franc 2020, Slovenia (£52, Must Wine Bar)
Sampled during a tasting of a range of Eastern European wines. This is a quality expression of cabernet franc made in the Gorsika Brda region, which borders Friuli in Italy. Sour cherry, pepper, smoke and tobacco. Very pure with a long finish.

Patrick Jasmin ‘La Chevaliere’ 2022, IGP Collines Rhodaniennes (£9 a glass, Ten Cases)
Good typicity of a northern Rhone syrah but not at Cote Rotie prices. Pepper, graphite and olive. Good tannic structure. I had this at Covent Garden’s Ten Cases but retails for around £20, which is decent enough value.