IDEA Shortlist: TarraWarra Cellar Door

All photography by Derek Swalwell. Project by Kerstin Thompson Architects.

This project is shortlisted in the Hospitality Category of the 2016 IDEA Awards. The winners will be announced at the exclusive IDEA Gala Party on 18 November at Dockside Pavilion, Sydney. To join us for a night of celebration with this year’s winners, get your ticket now!

Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) have added a unique extension to the TarraWarra Estate through the insertion of a tunnel and new cellar door which combines the Australian landscape setting with an intimate subterranean wine cellar.

The space evokes a sense of drama.

The brief called for a new cellar door including a bar, lounge area and a private dining room with views through to the barrel store. As part of the design resolution, KTA added a circular stone forecourt that envelops visitors amongst the barrels of the estate, while also providing views out towards the Museum and the surrounding Yarra Valley.

The enveloping forecourt situates visitors within the Estate.

The cellar door is located in the northern extension of the existing tunnel of the winery, putting visitors at the centre of the wine-making, within an intimate space. The moody material palette adds to the drama of the surrounding landscape. Through the use of materials like textured concrete, timber highlights and furniture made from recycled hardwood, the colour, taste and smell of wine is amplified.

The subterranean space features timber and concrete.

Imagined as warm and inviting in winter and a place of cool relief in summer, pools of natural light from above in combination with niche wall lights and table lamps celebrate the subterranean character. Something so defining of the tradition of wine cellars and their ambience.

Timber and concrete are also featured through the amenities.

The accoutrements of wine – the barrels and bottles especially – are centre stage in the new space. Giving visitors the chance to be right inside the heart of TarraWarra Estate’s wine making culture.