Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
FOR many years it was the quality of Spanish wine that was renowned throughout the world.
Slowly though, it is becoming as well known for its bodegas.
It began with Canadian architect Frank Gehry (left) in 2007, when he designed the flagship Vineyard Hotel within the Marqués de Riscal winery in Elciego.
He was aiming to represent the uncorking of a bottle of wine with his design made out of coloured metals.
There has been a boom as international architects implant their artistic visions across the Spanish countryside.
Most recently Pritzker prize-winning architect, UK-based Zaha Hadid, installed a tasting room/shop at the López de Heredia Viña Tondonia vineyard.
A softer, more subtle approach was undertaken by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava at the Ysios winery.
His wave-like design for the warehouse of the bodega manages to create a breathtaking spectacle, which is now attracting visitors from across the globe.
At the vineyard Hacienda Zorita in Ribero del Duero, architect José María Pérez has incorporated an upside down hull of a boat in the bodega’s design in commemoration of the time Columbus once spent there.
Meanwhile Lord Rogers – he of the famous London gherkin – has designed a new building for Bodegas Protos in the Ribera del Duero region.
In an attempt to balance the unique taste of the wines and a visual experience, the collaboration between wineries and modern architects is a new direction that has so far proved successful.
Bodega up for top architecture prize
