Truly interactive - you even get to taste! (Vinopolis - City of Wine)

Member Name: caro

Product:	Vinopolis - City of Wine
Date:	29/10/00 (236 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tastings, imaginative displays

Disadvantages: Some annoying commentary

Vinopolis is not for wine experts - in fact, it's probably best suited to those of us with relatively little knowledge. This "museum of wine" offers a fairly comprehensive overview of the history, production, varieties and geography of wine-making.

Vinopolis is housed in beautifully converted railway arches near London Bridge, and the building certainly enhances the experience. The attraction itself makes good use of technology, providing films, audio guide, models and pictures as well as objects in glass cases. There are some fun touches: sit in an "aeroplane" for the film about Australia, take a virtual trip through Italian vineyards sat on a scooter, and look into a movie camera viewfinder to find out about the Californian wine industry.

After an introductory film (I'm not sure what the point of this is, as it conveys very little information), the first room gives the history of wine. After that, each room is devoted to a different wine-producing region and is decorated appropriately.

The audio guide activates automatically at the beginning of each room and when you stand in front of a video; otherwise you enter an item's number to hear the commentary. This guide is interesting and lively, but the automatic sections don't always work properly, which is frustrating.

There is a lot of information available, although I suspect that little of it would be new to those who are knowledgeable about wine. Some of the explanations can be annoying: I found the "characters" given to different grape varieties (complete with illustrations of grapes with faces, hats, moustaches etc, rather like Mr Potato Head) irritating rather than helpful. However, overall I found the commentary very good.

Probably the highlight of the visit is the wine sampling. Your ticket entitles you to taste 5 wines; for £2.50 you can buy another five samples. They are quite generous, so you certa
inly won't need more than 10! There is a big range of wines, although they are scattered around the museum which makes planning your tasting difficult. (Originally there were tasting halls at the end of the tour, but these now house a restaurant). Lots of the wines are good quality, and there are also ports and sherries. If you like any of them, you can buy them in the Majestic shop at the end of the tour.

You can counteract the effects of all these wines in the Italian section, which has a coffee stall (although you have to pay for the coffee).

Overall, this is a fun way to spend half a day, and I felt it was good value. It's especially nice if you go with friends, as you can taste each others' samples to really appreciate a wide range of wines. However, don't bother if you're a wine expert already.

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