Architecture tasting

by Marco Muggiano

The scent of must and tannins, the pleasure of the temperature on the skin, the dim, enveloping lights. The cellars are captivating places even for wine connoisseurs. All the more so when the architectures are the work of world-renowned star architects. From Foster to Piano, from Calatrava to Hadid, the most famous architects in the world have dedicated themselves to designing the homes of some of the most celebrated wines on the planet. So much so that visiting these wineries sometimes almost overshadows the pleasure of tasting.
Let's visit some of them.

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Mario Botta for Cantina Petra
Suvereto, Livorno, Tuscany, Italy

Swiss architect Mario Botta, who was commissioned to dress the operational heart of Cantina Petra, described the spirit of the project as follows: "A rational design that emphasizes the measure, the beauty, the depth of the landscape."
A single front in the valley, with a cylindrical central body 25 meters high, oriented at 45/90 degrees to the surrounding rows. The cylinder houses the entrance and, in the center, the winemaking activities. The summit is an inclined plane parallel to the hillside used as a place to harvest the grapes: from here the grapes, separated from the stalks, gently fall into the maceration and fermentation tanks, without suffering any sensory stress.

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Renzo Piano for Rocca di Frassinello
Gavorrano, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy

A large square measuring 40 meters on each side with a huge attic that stands without the support of columns. It is surrounded by a 20-meter wide frame that accommodates the distribution of all the functions of the production cycle. There are steel vats on two sides and, above each of them, there is a manhole cover that opens onto the roof above, which is none other than the large square created by the roofing of the barrique cellar. At harvest time, the grapes are brought in small crates to the sorting tables, and it is from those very crates that they drop into the fermentation vats, thus avoiding the use of pumps that would cause stress to the grapes. On the other two sides are all the other functions: bottling, storage, warehouse functions and logistics. Renzo Piano wanted to create a discreet presence in harmony with the territory that finds its greatest expression in the red tower visible even from a distance.

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Christian de Portzamparc for Château Cheval Blanc
Sant'Emilione, Bordeaux, France

Bordeaux is the region of the world's best-known fine and expensive wines: here Christian de Portzamparc (Pritzker Prize 1994) was commissioned to design the extension of the famous headquarters of the French winery Château Cheval Blanc. The result is a 5,500 square meter "wine atelier" on two levels: on the first floor, 52 concrete vats for maturing wine and a refined tasting room; in the basement, the rooms for actual production. On the outside, the lines of the concrete roof sails merge with the pinnacles of the "Château".

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Baggio Piechaud for Ballande & Méneret
Bruges, Bordeaux, France

Ballande & Meneret, a manufacturer nestled in the woods of the Medoc peninsula, commissioned local architectural team Baggio Piechaud to renovate a 1,000 square meter warehouse. Patrick and Anne Baggio Piechaud wanted to break with tradition and created a huge white concrete monolith, which transforms at night, thanks to LED light spots dotted across its façade. A mirror of water surrounds the structure, reflecting the light and enhancing the beauty of the building.
Inevitably, the administration and citizens were initially concerned about this venture, but today it is a tourist attraction.

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Smiljan Radic for Viña VIK
Millahue, Chile

Chilean architect of Croatian origin, Smiljan Radic was commissioned to design the new look of the VIK winery. Situated amidst the mountains and wide valleys with the towering Andean peaks in the distance, the "Viña" was designed to have minimal impact on the landscape and for this reason the architect wanted to use the most advanced technology, especially for the fabric roof. Tense and transparent, it allows natural light to permeate the cellar and therefore limits artificial lighting.

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Foster + Partners for Le Dôme
Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France

The structure of Le Dôme is the work of one of the most famous architectural firms in the world, Foster + Partners. Visitors arrive along a tree-lined avenue at this wine cellar, which truly has the appearance of a modern cathedral with a circular layout. The combination of two ramps, one external and the other internal, allows the visitor to walk through the different stages of winemaking. Both ramps lead to the social heart of the building with tasting tables, an elegant wine bar and entertainment areas, all surrounded by a 360-degree view of the adjacent vineyards. The 40 meter diameter wooden roof is a structure of mutually supporting sloping beams that creates a 6 meter wide oculus in the center, allowing daylight to flood the upper floor.

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Santiago Calatrava, Frank O. Gehry, Iñaki Aspiazu Iza, Zaha Hadid
Rioja Alavesa, Spain

To the north of Spain, lies the area called Rioja Alavesa, where most of the famous Rioja wines are produced. This territory, located between the Ebro River and the Sierra de la Cantabria, enjoys an extremely favorable microclimate for the cultivation of vines. And there are more than a few wineries that, having reached the peak of prestige with their wines, wanted to involve the biggest names in international architecture.
This is how the sinuous Ysios Winery was born, conceived by Santiago Calatrava. As well as the spectacular lines designed by Frank O. Gehry for the building that houses the hotel, you have the magnificent landscape and the surrounding installations of the Marqués de Riscal, in the context of what is known as Ciudad del Vino. Or, finally, the Baigorri wineries of Basque Iñaki Aspiazu Iza and Zaha Hadid's Tienda de Vinos, technically not a winery, as it is a point of sale, but so charming in the shape of a stylized decanter that it attracts even teetotalers.