Wine, design, territory and tourism: on Oct. 15 and 16, “Architect in the Cellar,” the large-scale collective and widespread event linking landscape, art and wine culture organized by Toscana Wine Architecture, returns.
Toscana Wine Architecture is a network, formed in 2017, that brings together design wineries (Antinori in Chianti Classico, Caiarossa, Cantina di Montalcino, Castello di Fonterutoli, ColleMassari, Fattoria delle Ripalte, Il Borro, Le Mortelle, Petra, Podere di Pomaio, Rocca di Frassinello, Salcheto, Tenuta Ammiraglia – Frescobaldi) that have individually made significant investments and decided to focus on a common strategy, to welcome visitors and enthusiasts from all over the world.
Leading the guided tours of the design wineries during “Architect in the Cellar” will be, exceptionally, architects, in some cases the very people who signed the projects.
Tasting wines where they are produced is not only a unique experience, but it enriches one’s knowledge of the land and, in this case, one’s sense of beauty. The ancient Greeks resorted to the concept of “kalokagathia” to support the complementarity of “beautiful” and “good,” which, in the case of Toscana Wine Architecture, are closely interconnected, double-knotted by a green thread: that of sustainability.
True temples of wine, designed by the great masters of contemporary architecture including Mario Botta, Renzo Piano and Tobia Scarpa, in addition to being perfectly integrated with the surrounding landscape, they become an indispensable element of its protection the moment they limit their impact on the environment as much as possible.
Finding the Architect in the Cellar
An itinerary among the historical places and territories of production, in one of the region’s most vocated to viticulture, dedicated in a more focused way to the structure and architectural choices.
Each winery declines the route in a personalized way and according to its own style: common and constant elements are the guided tour by an architect, the presentation of the network of Toscana Wine Architecture, the wine tasting and a particular attention in describing the “green” practices adopted in the winery that, in addition to the environment, thanks to the low environmental impact and energy savings, are also reflected in the glass, promoting the maximum expression of the character of the territory.
From ‘gravity’ winemaking that goes along with the natural movement of production, reducing the consumption of energy and pressure, and less traumatic grape processing that can preserve the wine’s balance and tannin extraction, to maintaining the ideal temperature for aging in a completely natural way, taking advantage of the thermoregulation of rocks in the subsoil or spring water; from the use of natural materials, to rainwater recovery, from the use of renewable energy to vertical gardens, aesthetic enrichment and energy benefit: eco-sustainability is reflected in every production step of the nectar of Bacchus.
Vineyard, terroir and winery integrate and evolve in symbiosis with nature almost like an evocative land art installation.
Behind every architectural choice lies not only an aesthetic attention, but an ethical choice related to respect for the environment and the man who works in it. Even wine is not only the fruit of the earth and the wisdom of man, but also of the culture that produced it. This is why the environment, understood in the broadest sense, is so important.
“Architect in the Cellar” thus reveals itself as a unique journey into a contemporary Tuscany, capable of respecting its oldest roots and combining the beautiful and the good within a glass of wine.