Cheers!

I enjoy wine.  I get excited about design.  And when wine and design come together, I am in my happy place. I take photos.  I take notes.  And then I misplace my notes and the photos disappear into my hard drive.  What to do? Vinotecture to the rescue.

Okay, first of all, yes, I made up the word. But it only makes sense that Wine + Architecture = VINOTECTURE.  And what better way to document and keep track of my excursions than to start this site.

Here in California, winery visits are the perfect weekend diversion.  And wineries are everywhere these days.  Wine tasting is a key component of a winery trip, but there are many other benefits to heading out of town on a Saturday morning.  Early morning coffee in the cool morning air on the drive out of town to beat the traffic.  Putting some space between responsibilities at home and a new adventure, at least for a day.  Finding a place for a picnic with a view and (barring drought) some nearby stream or lake.  Looking for the winery address along a rural winding road, and finally, geting out of the car and stretching your legs, inhaling the fresh air of the fields and vineyards as you head toward the tasting room.

Now there are many fantastic blogs about tasting wine, and this is not going to be one of them.  Yes, I do enjoy that activity, but while my friends are indulging their senses of taste and smell, I find myself drawn to the architectural elements of the building.  Whether it is a rustic old barn or a modern glass box, the buildings are a unique chance for winery owners to make a visual statement about the character of their wines. Design becomes the medium to communicate to potential customers the sincerity and vision of the winemaker. This blog will be a place to experience and share some of the best of these locations, and encourage you to consider the importance of design in your environment.

More and more wineries are beginning to invest in the design of their winery as part of their branding and marketing efforts, so I have a long list of places to visit. And that is just in California.  Oregon and Washington have an abundance of wineries as well, and with family in those states, I will be making excursions up north whenever I have the chance.

And there is more! This site is not just about wine and architecture, it will be about the many ways that design and wine come together – with a whole section about Wine Label Art, and an area dedicated to Wine Cellar Design.  As you may have guessed by now, design and art are a big part of my life. I have a degree in architecture, am a Certified Interior Designer (CA), and enjoy a hobby as a ceramic artist.  I am blessed with a good eye for design and a heart for adventure.