Article source: Carl Fredrik Svenstedt Architect

Moving Mountains

Engagement

The terraced hills above Tain l’Hermitage have been cultivated since Roman times and are reputed for some of the best wine along the Rhone Valley. Delas Frères were determined to renovate a historic, centrally located property, investing in their past, despite the challenges of wine harvesting in an urban context.

Using solid, structural stone, the new wine cellar and shop become walls framing a renovated manor house and its garden. The stone relates to the site, while the thermally inert, porous walls create ideal conditions for wine. Ramps within the winery allow visitors to discover the wine process within an efficient interior, and lead to views of the hills from a roof terrace, and down to the bottle cellar under the manor house. Sunlight enters the visitors’ gallery through a continuous skylight, the undulating wall serving as a light reflector for the tank and barrel halls, where direct light would be detrimental.

Image Courtesy © Sergio Grazia

• Architects: Carl Fredrik Svenstedt Architect, with Carl Fredrik Svenstedt, Boris Lefevre, Pauline Seguin, Thomas Dauphant, Marion Autuori, Benoit- Joseph Grange
• Project: Delas Frères Winery
• Location: Tain-l’Hermitage, France
• Photography: Dan Glasser, Sergio Grazia
• Software used: Rhinoceros, Grasshopper
• Landscape Engineers: Christophe Ponceau and Melanie Drevet
• Structural: Becamel Mallard
• Curved Stone Wall: Atelier Graindorge and Stono
• Thermal: MAYA
• Surface Total: 5 000 m2
  • Chai: 3 200m2
  • Wine Shop: 400 m2
  • Guest House: 1 400m2

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