Architecture and wine create captivating alliances amidst nature and landscapes. A closer look at three enticing wineries offers sensory and gustatory experiences that bridge past and present.

HILL COUNTRY WINE CAVE IN THE UNITED STATES

For forty years, the Texas-based architecture firm Clayton Korte, founded by Brian Korte, has been creating spaces that celebrate their surroundings and elevate the human experience. This private wine cellar, located at the eastern edge of Texas Hill Country near Austin, is one such example. Sheltered by majestic oaks and elms, the project is conceived as a cave carved into a limestone hillside. Its 130-square-meter tube-like structure is clad in concrete that blends seamlessly into the native landscape. The discreet entrance reveals just enough mystery to entice both the eye and the clientele. For Brian Korte, the challenge lay in designing a wine cellar and a convivial tasting area within the excavation, which was neither watertight nor originally intended for that purpose. The interior is clad from floor to ceiling in a blend of white oak and Douglas fir, creating a warm contrast with the concrete and stone. Cedar was reclaimed for the bar counter and the restroom vanity. “With over 7 meters of rock above, the refrigerated cellar is surrounded by white oak display cases, providing storage for a constantly growing private collection of 4,000 bottles,” explains the architect. His studio thus pays meticulous attention to detail, showcasing its expertise on a small scale.
CLAYTONKORTE.COM

THE WINE CELLAR OF THE WEINGUT PACHERHOF HOTEL IN ITALY

The philosophy of Studio Bergmeisterwolf, founded by Gerd Bergmeister and Michaela Wolf and based in Brixen, Italy, and Rosenheim, Germany, stems from a search for a new balance in the use of space, linked to formal and spatial requirements. With the Hotel Weingut Pacherhof project in Neustift, South Tyrol, the architects designed a unique space dedicated to wine, its production, tasting, and sale. They studied the history of the site to restore the former 590 m² cellar in the basement. They added new rooms and enriched the existing ones with...
Functional elements and materials such as wood and steel are used throughout. This extension takes the form of a pyramidal tower clad in dark bronze panels. This material evolves over time, referencing the color variations of the surrounding rocks and mountains. The building also features a laboratory and tasting room on the first floor, and several windows on the facade. "The new wine cellar plays with the contrast between the steel of the tanks and the white plaster. It is connected to the existing winery with its oak barrels by a narrow passageway," the architects explain. "The two buildings can thus enter into a harmonious dialogue, respecting each other's spaces."
BERGMEISTERWOLF.IT

THE ZUCCARDI WINERY VALLE DE UCO IN ARGENTINA

In Paraje Altamira, east of Mendoza, Argentina, the Zuccardi family winery stands amidst the desert of the Uco Valley, at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Architects Tom Hughes, Fernando Raganato, and Eugenia Mora designed the project on the very land of engineer Alberto "Tito" Zuccardi, making it a symbol since 1963. Today, Sebastián Zuccardi, a winemaker and third-generation member of the family, manages the vineyards and has propelled the winery into new territory. "We don't seek perfect wines, but those that best express the place they come from," he explains. The building is designed on three levels: the basement houses the wine tanks, the ground floor accommodates production and the laboratory, and the first floor is dedicated to administration. The structure is almost entirely made of reinforced concrete, adorned with large boulders, local sand, and gravel. Inside, the wine storage and tasting areas represent the passage of time and a projection into the future. Outside, the dome highlights the unique conditions of the location, reflecting sunlight and sky at different times of day. A true homage to the mountainous landscape of the Andes, all these features allow visitors to be captivated by and experience the winemaking process. The Zuccardi Valle de Uco winery won the award for Best Winery in South America at the World's Best Vineyards in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
ZUCCARDIWINES.COM