A Cellar's Market

Winemakers are showing a lot of bottle, using eye-catching architecture to attract travellers to their cellar doors, writes ALEXANDRA CARLTON.

- Alexandra Carlton

“It’s a bold statement,” says Bob Derrick of his new project, a cleverly designed cellar door that dominates his two-hectare vineyard in Orange, in the NSW central west. He was determined that the first cellar door for Montoro Wines would have wow factor.

Architect David Sutherland, of local firm Source Architects, created a striking steel canopy that references traditional agricultural buildings but strikes unflinchingly into surrounding fields of native grasses and wildflowers, catching the eye of passing drivers and delivering the desired wow.

Beneath the canopy, the tasting room and function space are built from blackened timber and glass, with views of vines to the east and the sunset to the west. “The patron should feel they’re visiting somewhere a little private and exclusive,” Sutherland says. 

The response to the new building, opened in December, has been hugely encouraging, says Derrick. “Visitors are amazed by the beauty and uniqueness of the building.”