Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/314400
W i n e s & V i n e s J U n e 2 0 1 4 41 Wineries as art in Mexico I n baja, Mexico, the new ombligo-Vena cava winery has garnered attention for its modern design incorporating incongru- ous materials. Designed by the husband and wife team of alejandro D'acosta and claudia turrent, the winery buildings are roofed with the hulls of old ships. D'acosta and turrent specialize in using discarded materials to form new structures. the couple has designed five wineries in Mexico and is working on two more. one of the wineries they worked on, bodegas de Santo tomás, features retaining walls built with old tires. "We think functionality and simplicity is the true beauty of any building, and it will turn appealing if we have the spirit of the materi- als," turrent said. "We are not searching for beauty but digging the inter- section between spirituality and functionality.…all of our buildings are conceptualized depending on the clients' culture and needs." in addition to Vena cava and bodegas de Santo tomás, the duo has designed and built casa de Piedra Vincola, Paralelo and the private-label custom-crush winery estación de oficios el Porvenir. two other wineries are in the works—clos tres can- tos and bruma—and turrent said they're starting the design process for three more. "We are just trying to be one with nature, using what we have on hand and rethinking the real value and spirit of materials," she said. "We are following the terroir, like winemakers read the flow and spirit of their grapes." A.A. The team behind Ombligo-Vena Cava winery are known for their use of discarded materials in design. Ship hulls repurposed as roofs at Ombligo-Vena Cava. W I N E M A K I N G W I N E M A K I N G