Bordeaux wine theme park – Cité du Vin opens

French president François Hollande has officially opened Bordeaux's Cité du Vin wine centre, against a backdrop of national strikes plus protests from campaigners against pesticide use in vineyards. Hollande shared the stage with one of his main political rivals, Bordeaux mayor Alain Juppé, to officially open the Bordeaux wine theme park on Tuesday 31 May.

Presidential hopeful Alain Juppé welcomed Hollande amid tight security, kicking off a day of events to mark the €81 million ‘Cité du Vin’ that has taken several years to build and which founders hope will become the Guggenheim of wine.

Protesters staged a ‘lie-in’ at the venue to symbolise deaths from chemicals used routinely in viticulture - Bordeaux area has some of the biggest pesticide use in France.

Hollande mentioned the fight against pesticides in his speech, but concentrated mainly on the importance of the wine sector to the French economy.

‘Wine is part of our cultural and gastronomic heritage but also our landscape,’ Hollande said. ‘It symbolises how France is seen by the outside world; a country of freedom and culture and an emblem of the enviable lifestyle of which we are so proud.’
The French government has directly contributed only 2% of the budget for the Cité du Vin project. Bordeaux city authorities have contributed to 38% of the cost, with the rest coming from private donors, including châteaux owners.

It is thought Bordeaux’s wine theme park will attract 450,000 visitors per year, with around 40% from overseas.

Bordeaux currently attracts six million visitors per year, with 500,000 expected for the 10th edition of Bordeaux Fête Le Vin during the last weekend of June and the same again for the Euro 2016 football championship that begins on 10 June.