It was raining outside, so we decided to go where history breathes dust and wine. As I stepped into Musée d’Aquitaine, Bordeaux outside the door seemed to belong to another dimension. The air was heavier, thick with the weight of centuries of stories collected within these walls.
And it’s clear that centuries of winemaking wealth have allowed this region to build spectacular exhibitions. Like the Cité du Vin, this wasn’t a museum of sterile glass cases full of forgotten relics—it was alive. It whispered with the sands of ancient shores, rustled with the sails of merchant ships, and smelled of aged paper from chronicles that remember more than we ever will. And it was interactive.
Prehistory: The First Footprint in the Mud
Like every museum, we started at the depths of time—before Bordeaux was Bordeaux. Stone tools, arrowheads, amulets. I couldn’t help but imagine some exhausted hunter, thousands of years ago, gripping a flint knife and carving animals and figures onto a rock.
And then there was the Venus of Laussel—a tiny limestone figure of a woman, sculpted 35,000 years ago. She holds a horn, maybe as a symbol of abundance. Or maybe just because that’s what people did back then. Or maybe it was already a message—a prehistoric version of politicians dreaming of feasts and better tomorrows.
Roman Burdigala: Wine, Trade, and the Ever-Present Hercules
Moving forward in time, I found myself in ancient Burdigala, the Roman Bordeaux. Gold coins, amphorae, mosaics. Standing in front of a bronze statue of Hercules, I had a sudden realization—I should really work out more.
Worn by time but still radiating power, the statue must have once stood in a wealthy merchant’s home. Now, it simply watches visitors try to understand a world that has long disappeared.
The Age of Faith and Wine
Medieval Bordeaux wasn’t just castles and knights. It was a time of merchants, churches, and vineyards. This was when the city began to grow through trade, especially wine, which made its way to England and beyond.
They say that to understand Bordeaux, you must understand its relationship with wine. I fully agree—and I embrace this philosophy wholeheartedly.
One display case featured an ancient wooden wine cask, and I pictured it being loaded onto a ship bound for London. Back then, wine was young, raw, and free from today’s regulations and appellations. Maybe it tasted worse—but it surely carried more stories.
The 18th Century: A Golden Age—But at What Cost?
The mood of the exhibition shifted. Bordeaux became rich, trade flourished. But then came a darker chapter—the slave trade. The museum doesn’t shy away from it.
There were documents, shipping logs, and iron shackles. Reading the names of people sold like goods was unsettling. Thousands of them, many never surviving the brutal journey across the ocean. While Bordeaux thrived on wine and sugar, others perished in inhumane conditions.
It’s an uncomfortable truth. But the French don’t sugarcoat it—they acknowledge it. And that, at least, is something worth respecting.
An Old City With a Young Soul
The final halls pulled me back to the present. Photographs, 20th-century posters, and records of how Bordeaux transformed. A city that was once just a trade port is now a center of culture, gastronomy, and student life. (By the way, we were staying right next to Havel’s University.)
But despite all the changes, you can still feel the past in every street, in every glass of wine, in every old stone building.
Bordeaux: A City of Wine
Bordeaux is, above all, a liquid legend, poured into glasses across the world. Every street whispers its winemaking history, from the old docks where barrels were loaded onto ships to the elegant wine cellars where vintages are savored with oligarch-level reverence.
Of course, wine holds a prestigious place in the Musée d’Aquitaine.
While the thousands of Grand Cru Châteaux could overwhelm anyone, one name stood out: Mouton Rothschild.
Wine in Bordeaux isn’t just a drink. It’s a culture, a tradition, a way of life—and we gladly succumbed to its charm. Médoc, Saint-Émilion, and Pessac-Léognan form the holy trinity of winemaking perfection, a pilgrimage every wine lover must make.
Bordeaux is also modern and vibrant, which is reflected in its architecture and gastronomy. At La Cité du Vin, you learn about wine as art, while along the banks of the Garonne, you simply enjoy it as the sun sets over the river.
Every sip of Bordeaux opens a new dimension. And once you taste it, you’ll never see wine the same way again.
Musée d’Aquitaine: The Memory of Bordeaux
As I stepped outside, the sun hit the old facades, and for a moment, I felt stuck between centuries.
Musée d’Aquitaine isn’t just a place where old artifacts are displayed—it’s a space where Bordeaux’s history still breathes.
And as I wandered through the city, which now moves at its own rhythm, I realized that the past here never truly disappears.
You just have to listen.
