HIC! It waz avzoloootely vabuloooz, darling, hic! (Vinopolis - City of Wine)

Member Name: moonbailey

Product:	Vinopolis - City of Wine
Date:	25/10/01 (773 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: educational with some wine thrown in!

Disadvantages: Can be pricey if you can't get a deal on the tickets.

Lucky me. I got into Vinopolis on a cheeky two for one deal the other week. The single ticket price is £11.50, so that's quite a saving.

In case you were wondering, it's a wine museum with a restaurant and bar attached, but entirely separate to the museum.

To begin with I was disappointed. I had expected a wine tour and tasting extravaganza, and got a headset and audio guide.

BUT as it turned out, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I have poor concentration at the best of times, so a whiff of wine and it's all over for me.

We were able to take the tour at our own pace, listening to the bits that were of interest and bypassing the bits that weren't.

The tour takes you through a series of cave-like rooms, each with a different theme. Take in the history of the wine region or the grape types. Learn about the origins of wine and the uses through time. It's great!

Of course the best part is the tasting - but they do make you wait a little while before you reach this section. Don't worry though, you can't miss it when you do get there.

The most important word of advice I would say is use your wine tokens carefully. You are issued with five tasting vouchers to use at up to five tables. You can buy more at £2.50 for five if you need but you may find you don't need to if you pay atention!

Some servers give you a centimetre of wine whilst others give you half a glass!

Stand back for a second before launching into your order. See what kind of measures the others are getting and don't use up your vouchers on the meaner stalls!

I found one chap was new and poured a good three times the ammounts that the others had!

Obviously you want to try a good and wide selection so don't go crazy and try the same types five times - save one for the end perhaps - you can always go back on your tracks.

The tour has a nice little section for
champagne production which is worth a listen and some great quirky attractions - like a plane interior to take you on a video trip around Australia and some mopeds to guide you through the streets of France!

Allow plenty of time. We gave it two hours and dawdled a lot thinking we'd have timeto spare. Near the end we were racing through and glugging back the vino like there was no tomorrow! We had to get a pace on to get somewhere else and missed out on a few details at the end of the tour that might have been nice to take in at leisure.

My favourite part was in fact a tiny corridor full of posters and cartoons about wine. All of them, no matter what the theme showed wine to be a fabulous and essential part of life.

Did you know it is thought to be more healthy to drink red wine every day - in moderation, than not to drink at all? It helps keep cholesterol down and maintain a healthy heart.

(Well, I mean, if it's good enough for the church, it can't be wrong!)

So, I'm convinced, it's a life of wining and dining for me.

If you need any more incentive to drink your way to a long and healthy life, pop down to Vinopolis and be converted!

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