(DigitalJournal) - It has already been dubbed an "adult Disneyland" and "the amusement park of our dreams" by US college students.

But the Cite du Vin -- a new museum in the French city of Bordeaux dedicated to the history of wine -- is not quite the palace of bacchanalian revels of online fantasy.

The 81-million-euro ($90-million) attraction, which opened its doors this week in the capital of the world's most prestigious wine region, offers visitors the chance to taste 20 emblematic wines from across the globe.

But it is not encouraging them to try them all on the same day.

Instead, the museum -- which claims to be the first of its kind -- said it wants to show how wine has shaped and enriched our world.

Its director Philippe Massol said wine has changed landscapes and influenced cultures for more than 8,000 years.

"Wine is a unique product which wherever it has appeared has altered the way people live," he told AFP.

"It has created its own 'wine civilisations' and that is what we show through an immersive experience of smell, touch and taste."