Bordeaux Wine Inter-Professional Council : the public face of an iconic designation

While Bordeaux’s architectural heritage is the highlight of the city’s growth, its wines, which have made Bordeaux famous, play an important role as well. The engine for this movement, which seeks to promote Bordeaux’s products, the region’s 5 000 and more vineyards, and wine tourism, is located in an ultra-chic square known as Cours du 30 Juillet inside the Gobineau Building, a site designed by the architect Victor Louis in 1789.

Bordeaux, an iconic designation

The balconies of the Bordeaux Wine Inter-Professional Council overlook the Grand Théâtre. While its mission is to oversee and continually improve the quality of the first vineyard in France to qualify as a protected destination of origin, even as the French restaurant and wine industries are criticising Bordeaux wine, the luxurious décor of this local « Palace of Wine » is worthy of any museum and is also open to the public.

Between the Aubusson tapestry and stained glass windows, visitors can enjoy vintages selected by the site’s own sommeliers. © DR

Guests can also admire a headstone for a family of Gallo-Roman wine makers, on display next to a wall of wine bottles. © DR

The wide variety of Bordeaux vineyards

The building is also home to stained glass windows made in the Limousin-based workshops of Francis Chigot. The windows are modelled after a template drawn by René Buthaud representing the triumph of Bacchus. Visitors can also enjoy the Aubusson tapestry by Marc Saint-Saëne depicting « The wine of Bordeaux and the creation of a new vintage » and a wine bar stocked with bottles from small vineyards and major estates alike. The perfect place to visit to learn the art of wine tasting.

Médoc, Graves, Saint-Emilion, and Sauternes are just a few of the regions included on this map. Vineyards belonging to these designations can be found all around Bordeaux. © Benoit France