Local knowledge

« Chronicle of a success foretold » would be a good title for the story of the « Terre da Vino » winery in the Langhe region in Piedmont, northern Italy.
Just a few years after being opened, the winery needed to be expanded to double the existing space, a project that had to fit in with the unique characteristics of the area where the new building was to be located.
Completed in 2010, the expanded winery extends over more than 4,500 square metres, one third of which consists of a large roof garden. The perfect balance between tradition and innovation in the construction solutions are reflected in the two buildings designed by architect Gianni Arnaudo that make up the new winery complex: one for production activities and the other for the offices and wine shop.
The project was presented in 2012 at the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale curated by David Chipperfield.
A laminated wood structure was used to define the character of the new winery. The roof consist of curved laminated wood beams of variable cross-section and height according to the span and design of the roof, which is clad with copper sheeting.
A wood and glass envelope protects the facades of the office building facing the winemaking complex, offering a contemporary interpretation of the old trelliswork of rural farmsteads where corncobs were hung out to dry in the autumn to form a kind of primitive ventilated facade.
A circuit for guided tours runs from the office building to the winemaking spaces via a raised catwalk five metres above the ground, linking up with a second internal walkway suspended from the laminated wood beams. The route passes first above the bottling area and then leads to the impressive ageing room, offering a complete overview of the various production stages without interfering with the operators’ work.
But the real inner sanctum of the Terre da Vino winery is the 1,200 square metre « Barbera ageing room », which can hold more than 2,000 barrels in a controlled temperature and humidity environment.
Following the maceration process, the wine is transferred to steel drums for spontaneous fermentation and then oak wood barrels. To allow it to reach full maturity, the Barbera is left to ferment in bottles for a further six months.
The floors in these spaces, along with the fully-automated bottling department, the storage area, the quality control room and the wine shop, have been tiled with GranitoGres unglazed vitrified porcelain from Casalgrande Padana with the « Granito 1 – Metallica » finish. Due to their outstanding technical quality and ease of installation and maintenance, these tiles are ideal as a surface covering in a high-traffic area subject to severe physical and chemical stress. Suitable for both dry and humid/wet environments, they come in a wide range of finishes (natural, polished, satin, honed, gloss and textured) and colours, making them ideal for residential applications and renovation projects where high technical performance coupled with excellent aesthetic quality is required.