These new cellars for private wine production and consumption are located in an outstanding setting, at the head of a valley beneath a mountain in a protected area. Along apath that connects different types of buildings – including a chapel –, unfolds a covered, lowered section from which the cellar buildings hang like a comb, buried beneath the vines. This is not a single precinct but a promenade that encourages to discover different spaces, whose undulating line, in plan and in section, transforms their dimensions.

The inertia of this burrowed environment helps to avoid any energy consumption. The unique environmental qualities achieved are a result of its spatial geometry and materials – steel and stones –, embracing visitors in a fresh, isolated, underground world in which to feel and taste another tempo. The different phases in wine production and their treatment are developed on a single level. The wine-tasting room, located underground, on the deepest level, is linked to the itinerary through a path that follows the slopes of the topography. This room opens up to the exterior thanks to narrow and elongated skylights that provide a solid and theatrical light in the interior.

The vertical structure consists of Core-ten steel sheets that are rigidized by means ofperpendicular gussets resembling black steel ribs. The repetition of this element, sloping in two directions and leaving a 70 mm-air cavity between them, defines the spaces. Thisarrangement enables a filtered contact with the terrain, helping to capture its natural properties. The architecture itself addresses the needed climate demands and takes advantage of natural energy resources. The whole project is drawn up with the aim of carrying out an ecological excavation without resorting to mechanical means. To achieve the right temperature andhumidity required for wine-making, the cellar is more than one meter deep to make up for the variations in temperature between day and night and to use the air currents and wall humidity to temper the atmosphere of the rooms. During the summer the cellar will be cooled by dampening the walls during the day, and with ventilation during the night – this will help to maintain optimum humidity by increasing it 75% with respect to the daytime. During the winter months the cellar will be warmed up by the noon breeze, moistening the walls when necessary.