Foundation for wine culture and civilisations
Origins
Wine, a cultural, universal and living heritage
Discover origins
Foundation for wine culture and civilisations
Wine, a cultural, universal and living heritage
At the heart of human life for centuries, vine and wine have shaped our lands, imbued our traditions, influenced our social practices and invaded our imaginations. Wine is a universal language that transcends borders, centuries and beliefs. A symbol of welcome and sharing, a source of conviviality and pleasure, wine has inspired culinary art in ancient and contemporary civilisations.
It forms an integral part of the French gastronomic dinner, recognised in 2010 by UNESCO as part of humanity’s intangible heritage.
However, wine is not restricted to this single social practice. Conveying as it does values, knowledge and civilisation, it extends far beyond the context of gastronomic cuisine. In recognition of its very special impact, France officially included wine in its cultural, gastronomic and scenic heritage by publishing Act no. 2014-1170 of 13 October 2014 on the future of farming, forestry and food.
Defend, protect, promote and pass on this priceless heritage
The Foundation for wine culture and civilisations was created to protect, promote and share the countless cultural, historic and symbolic aspects of wine. Its aim is to defend, highlight and pass on the cultural and intellectual dimension of wine. The Foundation is attempting to make this universal, living heritage accessible to as many people as possible by offering an innovative new perspective.
Based on these key tasks, the Foundation for wine culture and civilisations was named a public interest organisation on 11 December 2014.
The Foundation & Cité du Vin
The City of Bordeaux, the owner and contracting authority for the Cité du Vin building, has made the facility available to the Foundation for wine culture and civilisations for a period of 12 years (to 2028) to carry out its remit. The Foundation is thus responsible for operating and developing the world’s first cultural site devoted to exploring the aspects of wine’s heritage.
The Foundation’s cultural, educational and scientific activities and projects focus on a number of major strategies.
PROMOTING AND DISSEMINATING A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE AT CITE DU VIN
- Regular upgrades of equipment and content in the permanent exhibition to keep it up to date at all times
- Putting on temporary exhibitions for the general public
- Creating and co-publishing editorial projects exploring the different cultural facets of wine
- Organising study days, meetings, seminars and conferences to promote the flow of knowledge between experts, professionals and the general public
- Developing tasting workshops
PROMOTING AND DISSEMINATING A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE OUTSIDE OF CITE DU VIN
- Involvement in designing and running other cultural sites devoted to wine
- Creating and maintaining a reference document library containing books, films and other multimedia materials to provide everyone with access to a wide range of knowledge
- Getting involved in meetings, debates and publications to raise awareness of wine’s heritage dimensions among elected representatives, professionals and the general public
- Sentence about the development of everything that can be done online
The operation of the Foundation for wine culture and civilisations is financed primarily on Cité du Vin’s own revenue, but it undertakes all of its cultural activities by fundraising through a tailored patronage programme that is open to all.
Are you a company or individual in France or abroad and interested in supporting the Foundation for wine culture and civilisations? Donate now and join the ranks of Cité du Vin’s patrons!
