COVETED MAGAZINE PAGE 75.
ARCHITECTURE //
“It is a common discussion today, the denial of the architecture.
To perform an intervention on the site without the appearance
that there was architecture involved”, says Valsassina, who won
the international competition launched by the Herdade do Freixo
several years ago. He recalls the owners had the intention to
build a wine cellar to complement “the great investment they
were doing in the vineyard”, but which also integrated with the
village, that was the “continuation of the landscape itself”. The
winery was designed to make the most of the characteristics
of the grapes as well as to keep the rural landscape untouched.
It is designed to a stringent technical and creative brief and is
deliberately discreet and unobtrusive. It is secondary to the vines
and the 1,000 hectares of pure Alentejo land that surround it.
Inside the Herdade do Freixo, there are two routes — one for
workers and one for visitors — in an exceptionally “round”
building that is remarkably accessible. It was built completely
underground, three storeys below the vines. Its architecture
is both bold and unconventional. It meets the brief of not
outshining the sources of inspiration for this project, which are
the vines and the terroir.
The cellar’s design also reduces the temperature range throughout
the year, providing a stable temperature, which is ideal for the
proper development of the wines and retains their freshness and
balance. The design also takes into consideration the potential of the
grapes and respect for the wine during the fermentation stage and
no pumps are used throughout the process. It makes use of gravity
throughout the production process. As a whole, its architectural
forms are further enhanced by the scenic effect of the building.
Website: http://www.herdadedofreixo.pt/
Address: Herdade do Freixo, 7170 112 Freixo, Redondo, Portugal.