When French architect Marc Barani got invited to create the new home for Les Davids winery in the South of France, he looked to the landscape for inspiration. Set on the edge of the Luberon, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and surrounded by orchards and gardens, the sandy-coloured, minimalist concrete estate headquarters appears as a rock formation peeking out of the greenery.
The building is made in solid concrete, emphasising its clean, mostly opaque volume and grounding it to the site. However, Barani opted for a light ochre colour for his concrete mix, ensuring it reads as close as possible to the rocky landscape further down the winery's valley. At the same time, the weight the structure conveys symbolises neatly the ‘gravitational process of winemaking,' he explains. This connection between the building and the surrounding nature continues through an extended glazed ground floor on the front facade, which opens towards the views and reflects them back onto the building, visually uniting wine production and vineyards.
On the other side of the glass strip – which wraps a row of concrete tulip barrels - is a large, sheltered terrace offering a place to sit and take in views of the estate, the vineyards and mountains on the horizon. A huge ceramic fresco by the Belgian artist Yves Zurstrassen adorns the entrance corridor from there.
The winery looks after some 20 hectares of vineyards, which currently produce eleven quality organic wines. The project, which opened to the public earlier this month, included dedicated space for the harvested grapes, then areas for blending, maturing and bottling the wine, and finally a shop and tasting room for visitors.
Balancing inspiration from nature with minimalist architecture and concrete mastery, this winery building is substantial – at over 2000 sq m. Yet it sits gracefully on its site, offering a nod to the landscape that influenced its design, as well as the perfect place to enjoy a glass of Les Davids fine produce.
-
Where Hollywood's top players will be wining and dining ahead of the EmmysLos Angeles bars and restaurants are judged as much on the scene they create as what’s on the menu. Here's five to add to the Rolodex
-
Mourad Mazouz tell us how the fusion of high art and haute cuisine has kept Sketch at the pinnacle of London dining'Opening the restaurant felt like something we’d drawn over and over again': Sketch founder Mourad Mazouz tells Wallpaper* about the importance of artistic and culinary fusion
-
Fashion’s favourite bookstore, Climax, opens a ‘sexy, angry’ New York outpostWallpaper* catches up with Isabella Burley, founder of Climax, as she inaugurates a New York outpost of the cult bookstore and showcases a playful new collaboration with fashion label Chopova Lowena
-
Toklas’ own-label wine is a synergy of art, taste and ‘elevated simplicity’Toklas, a London restaurant and bakery, have added another string to its bow ( and menu) with a trio of cuvées with limited-edition designs
-
The joy of AIX Rosé, sunshine in a glassAIX Rosé, made in the sun-drenched hills of Côteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, is a dry, pale pink and aromatic, everyday luxury
-
How Debauve et Gallais and Marie Antoinette sparked a chocolate revolutionParis chocolatier Debauve et Gallais is built on a sweet legacy, involving a chocolate coin designed to cure Marie Antoinette of her distaste for medicine
-
Château Galoupet is teaching the world how to drink more responsiblyFrom reviving an endangered Provençal ecosystem to revisiting wine packaging, Château Galoupet aims to transform winemaking from terroir to bottle
-
London’s most refreshing summer cocktail destinationsCool down in the sweltering city with a visit to London’s summer cocktail destinations
-
Young chef Mallory Gabsi opens his first restaurant in Paris25-year-old Belgian chef Mallory Gabsi has collaborated with designer Arnaud Behzadi to create a welcoming, contemporary restaurant in the heart of Paris
-
Learn how to curate a simple cheese board with perfect port pairingsThe experts at artisan cheesemonger Paxton & Whitfield share tips for curating a simple but sophisticated cheese board, with port and cheese pairings for every taste
-
IWA sake brewery by Kengo Kuma is Best Roofscape: Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022IWA sake brewery in Japan, by Kengo Kuma & Associates, scoops Best Roofscape at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022
