MEDITATIVE WINE TASTING WHERE ART AND DESIGN MEET THE LANDSCAPE

«If you take contemporary art, place it in a beautiful landscape and enjoy a magnificent wine, it is a much more satisfying experience than appreciating these individual things each for themselves», said Allan Warburg, owner together with his wife Wei of the Donum Estate winery, one of the major Californian producers of Pinot Noir, on August 1 2023, the day of the inauguration of the Vertical Panorama Pavilion at the winery headquarters.

of the pavilion features 832 laminated panels of recycled glass and is supported by 12 stainless steel columns. Built to accommodate up to 12 guests, the pavilion is both grand and intimate.

The site chosen for the construction of the pavilion is a special place on the estate. From this area you can in fact admire panoramic views of the vineyards, the bay of San Pablo and also on The Donum Collection, the collection of site-specific works of art by Mei and Allan Warburg, owners of Donum Estate. It consists of over 50 large-scale sculptures and installations placed outdoors on the estate and created by world-renowned artists including: Ai Weiwei, Ghada Amer, Doug Aitken, Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, Keith Haring and Subodh Gupta.

In this context, the pavilion also arises from a profound synergy between art and architecture and is a privileged place from which to admire the panorama, living an experience capable of touching all the senses. Its conical roof has a central oculus facing north. The 832 colored glass panels that cover it depict the annual averages of the four environmental parameters to be taken into account in the cultivation of vines: solar radiation, wind intensity, temperature and humidity. The colors chosen are those of the Sonoma Valley, to underline once again the link with the territory and the surrounding vineyards, also enclosing in the architecture the elements and microclimates that have contributed to the creation of that precious wine.

Roberto Leone

All images © Vertical Panorama Pavilion at the Donum Estate, 2022, Studio Other Spaces – Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann – Photo: Adam Potts.

Architects: Studio Other Spaces – Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann http://www.studiootherspaces.com