La Cite du Vin was designed by Paris-based XTU Architects to resemble "the swirl in a wine glass". It cost €81m (£63m; $90m) to build.
It has been dubbed a "Guggenheim to wine" - a reference to the New York art museum - by Bordeaux Mayor Alain Juppe.
He attended the museum's inauguration on Tuesday, along with President Francois Hollande.
The president is currently battling a wave of industrial unrest and was unable to escape protests for the inauguration. He was met by demonstrators protesting against both a contested new labour law and the use of pesticides in wine production.
A new museum devoted to the culture of wine around the world has opened its doors in Bordeaux.