Discover France's new $265,000 'temple of gastronomy and wine'

Devotees of French food and wine can flock to a new temple following the opening of a gastronomy and wine complex in the capital of France's central Burgundy region, Dijon.

"It's astounding. It's a marriage of gastronomy, wine, culture and education," said former French president Francois Hollande during whose tenure the project was launched. "It's not unique in France. It's unique in the world," he added at the inauguration.

The project began after UNESCO added the 'French gastronomic meal' to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2010. The inclusion on the prestigious list sparked the launch of sites in Paris, Lyon, Tours and Dijon designed to showcase different aspects of the country's rich food and wine culture.

The massive Dijon site spreads across 6.5 hectares and combines modern structures with buildings with glazed tiles from the mediaeval times. The overall project cost 250 million euros ($265,000) with the private sector financing 90 percent.

Visitors can meander through four sections on the history of French meals, baking, Burgundy's vineyards and the art of cooking. Once an appetite is worked up, tourists can eat to their heart's content in two restaurants run by triple-starred chef Eric Pras. And they can wash the meal down with wine from a cellar that offers 'one of the widest selections in the world, with 250 wines by the glass among more than 3,000 references.

The site also includes a butcher's shop and a bakery, an 'experimental kitchen' offering demonstrations and workshops, and a branch of the world-renowned Ferrandi culinary school. The Dijon site includes a whole cultural and heritage section that is free.