The Bordelais are constantly coming up with weird and wonderful new ways to seduce the senses while you taste the wines at their châteaux.

You have the wine writer graffiti wall at Léoville Poyferré (right) and the incredibly modern and stylish tasting room at Latour where you look out over the vineyards while a large zebra (fortunately in painted form) looks on. The winner, without a shadow of doubt though, is Super-Second Ch. Ducru Beaucaillou (left)

When Bruno Borie took over at Ducru in 2003 his energy and revolutionary vision had an immediate effect and launched Ducru back towards the glories of decades gone by. Everything about Ducru Beaucaillou today is modern and flamboyant, from Bruno himself to his impressively seductive wines. There is undoubtedly substance behind the style, but my goodness it is not everyone’s cup of tea.

The reception room (below left) is full of modern art (or we think that is what it is) with a rabbit and ice cream theme. The tasting room (left) is like a Tube carriage from a very very psychedelic dream.

It is bright orange with shiny copper sliding doors with cut-out leaf and vine motifs. It is hard to avoid the instinct to grab a handle to ensure you don’t fall over when you reach Aldgate East. Not an easy task when you are holding a glass of wine and a copy of the latest Harry Potter novel at the same time.

Ducru has not yet fully completed its renaissance but for those who like a sleek modern style of Claret, it is well on its way. It doesn’t need bells and whistles like this to sell its wine, but as this blog obviously shows, it certainly grabs your attention. So perhaps all publicity is good publicity?