Like great architecture, fine wine can be found the world over. Wineries and vineyards differ greatly, each with unique cultivation techniques and processes for creation, storage, and distribution. Along with France and Italy, Spain has earned a reputation for exceptional wine. Spanish vineyards are dotted with architecture that values both sensory and social experiences. These spaces are designed for visitors to taste test, learn winemaking methods, and connect with the surrounding landscape. Here, sommeliers and visitors mix, where sampling, socializing, and discovering happen concurrently. While the architecture can be as diverse as the wine, the structures generally include intimate public spaces and large, private areas for production.
Showcasing a mix of Spanish wineries and vineyards, this collection includes a multitude of design approaches, conceptual schemes, and material choices. These carefully crafted buildings are found in serene, bucolic landscapes, each critically placed to capitalize on access, views, and environmental conditions. While terrain greatly influences the formal organizations, these designs also create new spatial relationships derived from local traditions, sustainable building methods, and historic contexts. With similar programs, each project expands on the requirements and needs for wine production through widely different scales, structural schemes, and envelope designs. Drink up these contemporary design approaches to Spanish viticulture:
Waultraud Cellar by BC Estudio, Vilafranca del Penedés, Spain
Waultraud Cellar was designed to display the spirit and emotion of wine for the Torres family. Water and light was used to link three separate volumes housing the different programmatic spaces. The first and third levels of the winery house the barrels, tasting room, and museum, while the second level connects with the others through a cloister and courtyard.
© Virai Arquitectos
La Grajera Wineryby Virai Arquitectos, Logroño, Spain
Announcing its presence while merging with the landscape, La Grajera Winery was designed as a series of volumes and a pedestrian square. Sandstone, glass, and dark ceramic materials combine around a piazza space that opens to the forest nearby. The building’s orientation maximizes panoramic views while also allowing natural ventilation in different zones.
© Foster + Partners
© Foster + Partners
Faustino Wineryby Foster + Partners, Puerto Castilla, Spain
The new Faustino Winery was created to rethink the winery typology. The design makes careful use of the site’s topography to help aid in the winemaking process. This larger conceptual idea also helped reduce the building’s energy demands and optimize working conditions.
© Sala Ferusic
© Sala Ferusic
Mas Rodó Winery by Sala Ferusic, Mediona, Spain
Mas Rodó Winery is both a transformation and refurbishment of an agricultural warehouse from the 18th century. While the original structure was preserved, a new image for the building was created, including space for wine production. A bright, Pantone 375c color combines with Corten steel, masonry skirting, and wood to define the winery’s formal organization.
© Foreign Office Architects
© Foreign Office Architects
Centro Tecnologico de La Rioja by Foreign Office Architects, Logroño, Spain
This technology center also doubles as a vineyard. The design combines multiple academic programs under one roof: a glass box underneath a vineyard. Individuals experience the building and how nature and technology are connected through the façade. The unique scheme utilizes a canopy that provides a shaded microclimate between the glazed envelope and exterior.
© Alonso Balaguer y Arquitectos Asociados
© Alonso Balaguer y Arquitectos Asociados
Bodegas Protosby Alonso Balaguer y Arquitectos Asociados, Valladolid, Spain
Bodegas Protos was designed to be representative of the Protos brand and optimize energy use. The program includes social and managerial facilities, as well as the actual wine cellars. A tunnel connects the new building to former wine cellars while a partially buried base supports lighter, airy rooms above.
