Press release

Louis Bouillot's "L’Imaginarium – La magie des Bulles" to open next spring

Louis Bouillot's "Imaginarium", a unique tourist site in the heart of Burgundy devoted to the world of sparkling wines and the sparkling wines of the world will be opening in the spring of 2006. It uses the latest in exhibition technology to create a visitor experience that is at once educational and enjoyable.

Today, the sparkling wines are sailing with a fair wind. Champagne, Crémants, Cavas and Asti Spumante are enjoying world-wide popularity. And the world of sparkling wines is the theme that the Nuits-Saint-Georges firm of Louis Bouillot have chosen to explore, following them from the vineyard, through vinification and bottling, to finish on the wine-lover's table.

The Imaginarium is located at Louis Bouillot's production site near the Nuits-Saint-Georges péage, making it a convenient stopping-place for holidaying families.

It covers 1,200 m2, and takes the visitor through three separate stages: an interactive journey of discovery, a film show, and a tasting. The presentation is in three languages and the visit lasts between one-and-a-half and two hours.

Visitors take the first stage at their own pace. The presentation, mounted by one of the most experienced and successful firms in the business, covers every aspect of the subject (aesthetic, olfactory, technical, geographical, physical, gustatory, historical, ...)

The film takes you on a journey into the lives of a family whose mysterious heroine is - of course - the bubble!

Next, the visitor is offered three wines to taste, and finally, in the boutique, the chance to purchase.

The Imaginarium includes a "sensory space" where, by prior arrangement, special tastings are conducted in a way which involves all the senses. The format can be adapted to all or any participants including children, for whom a non-alcoholic version is available.

The Imaginarium is an ambitious project, part of a wider promotional initiative in the area of wine tourism currently under development by Maison de la France, the regional and departmental tourism authorities, and the tourist offices located along the Route des Grands Crus de Bourgogne.

Boisset have called in heavyweight partners to bring the project to life: Question d'Epoque, Julien Benedetti, Big Mama, and, as project co-ordinators, BM Partners who have had a hand in numerous French theme parks. Overall management is in the hands of Joachim Schäfer, who comes to the project after long experience with the departmental tourist board of the Côte d'Or.

Information for visitors

Opening: spring 2006

Entry: adults 7€, children 5€

Group rates (10 persons or more): on demand

Access: from Autoroute A31, Nuits-Saint-Georges exit

Address: Avenue du Jura, 21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges - France

Opening times: April-November 10.00-13.00 and 14.00-19.00; December-March closed on monday

Languages: French, English, German

Contact: Joachim Schäfer

Tel.: 0033 [0]3 80 62 61 40

Fax: 0033 [0]3 80 62 60 91

E-mail:

Imaginarium - an evocative name

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Einstein

Imagination is the theme which has inspired this site dedicated to the universe of sparkling wines. Louis Bouillot describe themselves as "imaginers of bubbles since 1877". It was imagination which inspired their original and experimental venture under the title "Mousseux Virtuels" ®.

The name Imaginarium aptly evokes the willingness to explore, the ceaseless search for new taste sensations, for yet more imaginative, yet more sparkling wines.....