For all its 18th-century splendour, there is a fresh-air feel to Bordeaux right now. Take a stroll along the waterfront during the early morning or late afternoon, when the limestone facades of the buildings - tightly packed beside the croissant-shaped Garonne River - are gently glowing in the sunshine, and the air of renewal is overwhelming. The quays hum with cafes and shoppers at the quayside organic market
The city is pretty enough now that the biennial wine fair Vinexpo, which closed last week, can attract over 48,000 visitors.
This tiny corner of France has long been a favoured spot. It's short distance from the Atlantic Ocean has given its famous wines access to world markets for more than 2,000 years and helped to make Bordeaux one of France's busiest ports.
All this ground to a halt in the 20th century, as the city centre moved into a slow decline. But an extensive and much-needed investment programme means that Bordeaux today is clean and sparkling to the point of smugness. Not only is it busy reclaiming its link with the vineyards, but it's also dictating the conversation.
Signs of this are everywhere, from the new Guggenheim-style wine cultural centre, which is due to open its doors in 2013, to the many innovative ways to experience its most famous product.
At Max Bordeaux, 48 of the region's top wines can be tried by the glass. Lining up Bordeaux First Growth wines for a comparative tasting is not usually an experience open to anyone besides a few wealthy collectors. But at this tasting bar, you are able to do just that, as Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Mouton, Haut-Brion, Yquem, Ausone and Cheval Blanc are all available by the glass. Just buy a pre-paid credit card, and choose your tasting size, from 25ml to 75ml. Buying a bottle of each one would cost you upwards of Euro20,000 (HK$221,000), but you can try a tasting glass of them all for just over Euro200.
'Bordeaux is changing,' says Henning Thoresen, owner of Max Bordeaux. 'As its wines become ever more sought after internationally, so the city has stepped up its game. Even the smart chateaux are starting to realise that, as they charge higher prices for their wines, they need to work on their welcome to customers who have travelled to Bordeaux.'
