(USAToday) - Glass bell jars emitting aromas, interactive maps loaded with video-game technology, and tasting rooms so sleek you’d think you were in a Michelin-starred chef’s laboratory… Welcome to Bordeaux’s new Cité du Vin, which mayor Alain Juppé has proclaimed a “Guggenheim to wine.” It’s an ambitious claim, but on an exclusive, behind-the-scenes preview, we find that this mega museum delivers on its promise. Devoted to the history of wine civilization, the Cité du Vin is a glorious, high-tech immersion in the world’s wine cultures. Did we mention the rooftop wine bar?

The wow factor first sets in from afar. Whether you’re arriving by boat, car or tramway from the Bordeaux train station, you’ll gape at the bold landmark on the banks of the Garonne. Designed by Paris-based XTU Architects to resemble “the swirl in a wine glass,” the shimmering aluminum-clad structure also recalls the currents of the river that’s been the lifeblood of Bordeaux for millennia. With a price tag over $90 million, the project was first initiated in 2009, and required three years of construction work. The Cité du Vin officially opens on June 1, to coincide with Bordeaux’s popular summer festival, Bordeaux Fête le Vin, a wine-soaked celebration which would make Bacchus proud. (This culinary extravaganza takes place June 23-26 on the riverfront that’s been declared an official UNESCO World Heritage site.)

Staff will tell you to expect 2.5 hours to explore La Cité du Vin; we say you could easily spend the day here. Here’s what to expect. On the ground floor, there’s a bookshop, a wine bar and casual restaurant, plus a wine boutique that is the only one of its kind in the world. Stocked with 14,000 bottles representing 80 countries, this cave à vin has unique iPad installations with explanatory videos — about each wine! — by the world’s top sommeliers. It’s a veritable tour du monde with wines even sourced from unlikely destinations like Tahiti and Syria. These vintages are available for tastings (with a corkage fee) at the adjacent wine bar.