The Wine Shrines

The award to the most visits to the public library might belong to me this year. My new books feature winery design. They are titled Winery Design by Christain Datz and Adventurous Wine Architecture written by Michael Webb and photographed by Erhard Pfeiffer. Winery Design features wineries from twelve countries and Adventurous Wine Architecture displays 54 different establishments.

The books depict a world where winery owners vie to outdo each other, hiring the most prestigious architects available to come up with the most monumental shrines. But you won't find any classical French chateaux or Italian villas; these wine cathedrals are about cutting-edge, postmodern design. For example, one Chilean winery resembles the inside of a wine barrel and this winery below uses wire grids to encase a rock wall.
As a design enthusiast I love how the physical buildings at wineries are part of the identity of the product. Many people equate a good building with good wine. Just like a nice ambiance helps the taste of food at a restraunt.

Richard Fernau, winery architect and professor at UC Berkeley spoke, "One of my critiques about the Napa Valley in general is that the style is one that's south of anywhere, e.g., south of France or south of Italy. It's about facade--not about California or its experience. Our wines rival those of France and Italy, but the fact that we have to copy their architecture is an embarrassment." I disagree with him here. Napa Valley wineries might be protrayed or reminesant of other wine regions, but they are beautiful nonetheless and I would not generalize them as an embarassment. Most of the architecture in the states is a replica of Italian or Greek designs anyway.

It is fun to look at the wild designs from the two books and their design may fit with the brand of the wine.

But, when I think about traveling to the ideal pairing of wine and design I don't envision concrete, army-barrack-like structures. Someday when I am designing wineries I will resort to the timeless look of chateauxs, estates, and villas. Then Fernau may be ragging on me in his publications.