Antinori Winery

Chianti in central Tuscany has been producing wine since the 1700s, and continues to uphold its reputation as one of the world’s best wine-making regions to this day. Centuries of this process has taken its toll on the land though, which is why the Antinori Winery – by Italian firm Archea Associati – is designed as though an invisible building, concealed by and blending into the surrounding landscape.

Completed at the end of 2012, the winery took almost nine years to build. At 50,000 square metres, the building is vast but designed to have as little disruption to the area as possible. The shape of the build is sleek and blends in with the natural curvature of the surrounding land, while the roof is completely covered with farmland cultivated with vines, with large circular openings allowing for light to reach the floor below.

Under this roof are two storeys; the upper level containing space for visitors, the lower used for wine production and storage, where dark, terracotta vaults use the earth as a natural insulator and keep the wine cool during the summer months.