In October this year, Rioja’s Bodegas Faustino will inaugurate a new visitor centre designed by famous British architect, Lord Norman Foster.
The building, which, when finished, marks the completion of a complete revamp of the bodega’s facilities, is an arched, lightweight structure made using wood from local forests. Featuring a “sweeping glass roof”, which incorporates “photovoltaic technologies” – the visitor centre should produce almost six times more energy than it needs. Meanwhile, the vaulted, column-free interior comprises a mezzanine with views over the space beneath and out to the vineyards beyond the visitor centre. Speaking to db about the project at Wine Paris earlier this year, Carmen Martínez Zabala, who is president of Familia Martínez Zabala – which owns Bodegas Faustino – said that it was the group’s intention to complete the project in time for this year’s vintage. With the investment in updating and expanding the bodega’s facilities called ‘The Legacy of Bodegas Faustino’, Carmen said that it had been instigated as part of a celebration of 160 year’s since the Rioja winery was founded in 1861 in Oyón, where it is still located today. Commenting that the design had been done to “use the least amount of energy possible”, she said that the entire facility would be open to visitors, telling db, “We want to say thank you to our customers”.
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
