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.'

The first Max Bordeaux tasting gallery opened in Bordeaux in 2009, and it remains the only place where you can try this many exceptional wines so reasonably priced. It is also due for expansion, with 50 tasting galleries planned over the next five years. By the end of this year, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo will have their own Max Bordeaux, then New York and London next year.

There are plenty of other ways to experience the wines of Bordeaux without leaving the city centre. One of the most luxurious is to attend a wine dinner held at the Regent Hotel, the city's most upscale hotel, located opposite the 18th-century Grand Theatre. The two buildings form a pair, as the hotel itself was built in 1779 by the same architect, Victor Louis, as a private resident. Apparently, it was an attempt to outdo the theatre.

The wine dinners are held once a month at the Regent's Michelin-star-rated restaurant, Le Pressoir d'Argent, and are hosted by leading chateaux from both Bordeaux and farther afield - almost always a pair of one white and one red producer.

Recent examples have included Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau d'Yquem, California Napa Valley's Opus One and Ailes d'Argent (Mouton Rothschild's white wine), and Chateau Haut-Bailly with Burgundy's Maison Faiveley. Both Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Pichon Baron de Longueville are hosting dinners later this year.

The directors or owners of the estates introduce the wines, and match them with the cuisine, prepared by chef Pascal Nibaudeau.

If you are heading out to the vineyards, recent months have seen the launch of a new way to do so. River tourism, for a city whose wealth and influence were almost entirely the result of its location on the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, has been surprisingly slow to catch on. Bordeaux is a land of water, with 3,200 kilometres of rivers, 650 kilometres of which are navigable, but until the recent restorations, the quays in central Bordeaux were run-down and blackened from years of neglect. Boats offering taxi services or day trips have operated for a few years and, in March, a five-day river cruise was launched.

The Princesse d'Aquitaine - which has spent the past decade cruising along the Danube and the Rhone - will run 45 cruises each year, from March to November. The boat holds up to 130 people and sails along Bordeaux's two main rivers. The boat's course steers you up through the Medoc vineyards towards the Atlantic Estuary, then over to the 17th-century Citadelle de Blaye, down to the pretty village of Cadillac and the sweet wines vineyards of Sauternes, and finally eastwards to the medieval village of Saint-Emilion. Each day guests visit different chateaux, villages and other cultural sights, then return to sleep onboard.

The view from the water is totally different from the road, and a sense of romance is restored. You'll never see the port of Pauillac look more beautiful than when approached by water. There is something magical about discovering Bordeaux's vineyards by using the same waterways that first took its wines to market. It is clearly answering a gap in the market - the river cruises are already almost sold out for this season, and a second boat is joining the fleet next year.

Although the boat is billed as a luxury river cruise, the fittings inside are more functional than luxurious. If you want a truly exclusive boat trip, it is better to hire your own pinasse (a traditional flat-bottomed boat) for oyster-tasting in the Arcachon Bay, a pretty coastal resort 50 kilometres west of Bordeaux. This is the favoured summer destination of locals. It is the only way to dip your toes in the water and stop off at local beaches along the way.

Almost all these private hire boats will organise wine tastings on board, ideally of crisp local whites to complement the sunshine and the locally farmed oysters. As you sail around Arcachon, you will pass dozens of exclusive villas owned by local wine families - part of the fun is listening to the stories recounted by your skipper, who will be only too happy to identify the owners of each one, and to share his knowledge of the coastline. That's the beauty of visiting Bordeaux today.

Conversations used to begin and end with the wine, but today it is the perfect introduction to a city with its eyes firmly fixed on pleasure.

Wine and Dine

Bordeaux wine estates are offering more and more unusual and hands-on experiences to take part in. Although open for most of the year, many properties close in August. It is advisable to call ahead, especially on weekends. Harvest also used to be a difficult time to visit, but in recent years more estates are opening their doors during this busy period. Sometimes they even invite visitors to join the pickers for their harvest lunch. All the suggestions below need to be booked in advance.

Picnics at Chateau Kirwan, Margaux

A classified chateau in the commune of Margaux, about 30 minutes from downtown Bordeaux, Chateau Kirwan offers picnics over the summer months. There are local cheeses and hams from a wicker basket served with crusty breads and a choice of their wines. Known as a 'Dejuner sur l'herbe', this is an effortlessly elegant way to enjoy eating at a wine estate.

Vineyard walks at Chateau Soutard, Saint Emilion

A renovated classified chateau five minutes' walk from the centre of Saint Emilion that offers a wide range of excellent tourism opportunities. One of the best is the self-guided 'vineyard safari' where you take a map and head out into the vines on a trail of discovery. Particular emphasis here is given to biodiversity and the rich wildlife hidden in the hedgerows.

Make your own wine at Chateau Malleret, Medoc

Beginning this summer, the cru bourgeois chateaux is offering visitors the chance to taste the grapes, and blend and make their own wine. Called B Winemaker, you also get to bottle, label and cork your creation. Book through the Bordeaux Tourist Office.

Visit a tonnellerie with Nadalie cooperage, Medoc

Bordeaux red wines are almost always aged in the barrel, and nothing quite makes you appreciate the time, effort and skill that goes into producing them as visiting a barrel maker. Try to visit in the morning, when the barrels are being toasted over an open fire. You will fully appreciate this ancient art, which continues today as it did centuries ago.

Son et lumiere (sound and light show) at Chateau Villemaurine, Saint Emilion

With its amazing location on the edge of the medieval city, this makes for a theatrical visit. Created by Eric le Collen, famous for the recreation of the Battle of Castillon that is held nearby every summer, the quarries underneath the chateau have been turned into a sound and light show telling the history of the property and of Saint Emilion itself.