Quinta do Mosteiro Adega
On the hilly landscape of the the Minho region, in northern Portugal, sits discreetly a new winery building designed by Studio Nicholas Burns.
Located within a large family estate, this state-of-the-art winery is dedicated to the private production of the region’s typical Vinho Verde, respecting the natural cycles of the adjacent vineyard and the decade-long experience of local wine makers who have known those grapes and landscape for years.
Quinta do Mosteiro Adega is embedded in the side of the hill, where the earth provides a stable temperature allowing the ideal climate within the winery while a landscaped wall on the western side provides shade from the afternoon sun.
The Studio has been working closely with the wine makers to achieve a flawless production process based on local expertise, enhanced by a design that allows for a gravity-fed production, keeping the resulting wine pure and energetic.
The spaces are organised in two levels, connected by a double-height section. The process of wine making flows from the top to the bottom thanks to a clever use of gravity that allows the ground floor to receive the juice from the higher level. The juice then settles in tanks at the lower level, where stems and skins are separated and composted to be used back on the vineyards.
The lower level, a discreet space for machinery and storage, is where the technical activity takes place. Above, at ground level, alongside a professional kitchen that doubles as a laboratory for wine testing, sit a reception area, a dining room and restrooms, allowing for social interactions and experiences.
Functionality is a priority but experience is not dismissed. Fully glazed walls allow for generous views across the estate, framed by the windows to reveal segments of landscape and trees. A careful selection of materials inspired by the surrounding forest characterises a building that is
refined yet proud of its primary agricultural purpose, exhibiting simple and strong materials able to
resist the test of time. In contrast, the interiors are warm, soft and elegant to reflect the ambitions
of the wine produced on site.
The building is cladded in charred wood and weathered steel, while natural slate from the local
area has been chosen for the roof.
The rusting steel references the other buildings on the estate and provides a robust material
weathering over time, allowing the building to gently settle into the landscape and highlighting its
agriculture nature. The timber - a local oak - has been charred to provide protection from the
climate while the colour allows the building to blend into the shadows of the landscape, visually
reducing its scale as it recedes into the hill and forest. The slate used on the roof also recalls the
other buildings on the estate. The traditional roof typology is abstracted and used in a modern
way, edges stretching out further, abstracting the material, thanks to a brigade steel structure and
terminating with thin, elegant edges.
The interiors are calm and atmospheric, with Venetian plaster made by local artisans used on the
walls and Portuguese oak on the ceiling. The plaster walls play with light and shadows, adding
warmth to the agricultural building, while the oak ceiling and patterns add texture and improve the
acoustics throughout.
The Erco lighting system excellently serves the winery activities and can be dimmed down and
softened for dinners and more intimate gatherings. Up-lights reflect on the materials drawing
down the textures and colours into the space.
The natural landscape and the built landscape are interconnected and are mutually critical to the
design of the winery. No trees were removed and all the existing boulders were maintained and
integrated into the building. A large granite boulder was revealed during excavation and marks the
building entrance arriving from the hand-chipped stone pathway that settles into the natural
landscape. The landscape is wild, bringing the forest floor down the hill and around the building in
an embrace of nature to the architecture.
The temperature control provided by the landscape means there is no need for artificial climate
control. The wine rooms are insulated, avoiding any refrigeration or mechanical cooling. The dark
greenery and moss of the hill help maintain the perfect humidity levels while the breeze flows
through the building, which enjoys natural ventilation throughout. Low vents and doors on the
higher side facing the vineyard, and high vents either ends of the roof allow the air to come up
through the building and to the void creating a thermal convection current releasing the air
through the roof. This is assisted with mechanical vents allowing the thermal convection to still
work efficiently in case of minimum contrast between the air pressures.
The winery building has been crafted with the same care needed for wine making, informed by the
respect for natural processes and the surrounding landscape. It provides a space for
contemplation and for gratitude, gracefully, silently nested between the hill and the vineyard. A
space to connect with nature and to celebrate the simple rituals of agriculture and hospitality.
Studio Nicholas Burns has been working on the estate for years, previously on a private chapel
and meditation room which is now connected to the winery through a landscaped walkway as
well as a private house - Casa da Piscina, and a larger residence - Casa Principal, currently being
built.
