Article written by Nathalie Parent Dumoulin, NEXT Edition

RECONCILING TRADITION AND WINE PRODUCTION

“Simple is best. Less is more,” says Christophe Massie, co-founder of Bordeaux-based architecture firm, AGENCE DE L’ARSENAL, and expert member of WI&NE. His words underscore the significant role of architecture in the winemaking process, where every design choice can influence the final product.

The diversity of wineries and their vinification cellar highlights the richness and authenticity of their wines. These structures are expertly crafted, focusing on critical enological choices, functional efficiency, essential technical features like thermal inertia and air quality, and effective integration of visitor routes. The successful fusion of tradition with modern winemaking, a hallmark of exceptional expertise and mastery in the field, is a testament to the innovative spirit driving winery design.

Expertise in both Enology and Architecture

Vinification cellars are captivating spaces where true magic unfolds, transforming grapes into exquisite wine with precision and expertise. Since the latter half of the 19^th century, winemaking facilities have undergone significant modernization and optimization. This evolution boldly meets high standards of taste and aroma, seamlessly balancing quality with the practical demands of production. These advancements stem from the insights of leading enologists and the emergence of specialized winery design expertise over the past two decades, ensuring a remarkable blend of tradition and innovation.

This expertise encompasses design offices specializing in winemaking engineering, dedicated to creating designs that significantly optimize the production process. The involvement or renowned architects underscores the commitment of many owners to elevate the value of their products. Every winery, whether a traditional model or a cooperative, powerfully embodies the winemaker’s passion and expertise, showcasing the distinctive qualities of each wine.

More than Just a Production Tool

Today, a winery is not just a wine production facility but a sophisticated operation with several specialized areas, each essential to creating exceptional wine. This complexity underscores the intricacy of wine production and the importance of every step in the process.

It begins in the harvest reception area, where grapes are handled with utmost care and precision. Next, the vinification cellar is where the magic happens—key processes like pressing, alcoholic, and malolactic fermentations, settling, sulfiting, and blending combine to transform raw ingredients into a refined product.

Once the wine is expertly crafted, it is moved to the aging cellar, nurtured, and closely monitored to ensure optimal development. After aging, the final touches are added in the packaging and bottling area, preparing the wine for storage and shipping. Each step in this process is crucial, ensuring the highest quality in every bottle produced.

Every wine-growing region boasts its distinct characteristics. Take Champagne, for instance, where cellar design is rigorously regulated by the Interprofessional Committee for Champagne Wine (CIVC). In contrast, Provence, renowned for its exceptional rosés, allows for more flexible storage requirements and has limited cellar space. Due to the region’s production model, most wine is sold annually, highlighting this fundamental difference. Meanwhile, in Bordeaux, vinification and aging cellars are expertly designed to accommodate at least three harvests, with wines aging for a minimum of three years, ensuring a sophisticated and robust end product.

In conclusion, each winery is distinctive and expertly tailored to reflect the unique characteristics of its region. These establishments, each with a unique story and approach, embody a true passion for their craft, where skill and a deep passion for wine converge to produce exceptional nectars. It is this diversity that makes the world of winemaking so rich and fascinating.

Diagnosing Existing Facilities and Conducting Preliminary Studies

The vinification of red, white, rosé, still, and sparkling wines showcases distinct regional characteristics, but the variations among wineries based on their operation type are equally significant. A fundamental distinction exists between private wineries, cooperative wineries, and trading company warehouses.

Private wineries, typically set on estates or “châteaux” spanning 10 to 100 hectares, embody a commitment to quality reflected in their choice of winemaking processes. In larger estates, superior cultivation techniques seamlessly integrate with time-honored methods. These practices include manual harvesting, utilizing underground gravity-fed cellars to enable vatting without pumping or pressure, fermentation in stainless steel and wooden vats, aging in dedicated barrel cellars, and devatting in handling tanks. This blend of tradition and innovation sets these wineries apart and enhances the quality of their wines.

A bold and strategic approach is crucial when designing a new winery or restructuring existing facilities, such as a vinification cellar. This will ensure optimal conditions for wine production and guarantee compliance with the agri-food sector’s rigorous standards.

Key aspects to focus on include:

• Implementing gravity-fed techniques;
• Maximizing thermal inertia;
• Utilizing innovative energy-efficient solutions;
• Creating accessible circuits for wine tourism.

Architectural firms can elevate the winemaking experience by focusing on these essential elements.

Additionally, we are fully equipped to tackle the challenges the current landscape presents. By proactively addressing delays in obtaining permits, engaging architectural firms early for faster project initiation, anticipating potential issues, and meeting critical deadlines, we are poised to welcome the harvest on time confidently.

About AGENCE DE L’ARSENAL

AGENCE DE L’ARSENAL calls on its WI&NE members in the building trade, whether they are surveyors, builders, experts in energy and winemaking processes, notaries, lawyers, etc., to bring their projects to fruition.

It would not be wrong to say that architecture is a project’s backbone and heart. Christophe Massie states: “A successful project keeps the client engaged in a collaborative process and delivers spaces that reflect the client’s vision.”

To contact our WI&NE expert, Christophe Massie: https://www.wi-ne.net/en/nos_experts/christophe-massie-2/

The article was written by Nathalie Parent Dumoulin, NEXT Edition, and WI&NE Nouvelle-Aquitaine member.