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92 WINES&VINES January 2017 CONSTRUCTION INTERVIEW water. This is an area that is outside my expertise and is usu- ally handled by our civil engi- n e e r s . B u t t h e r e a r e s o m e exciting new systems that can convert production wastewater to water fit for irrigation or even potable uses while also greatly reducing the space required, energy used and oversight re- quired by older technologies. Q Are there trends in the w a y w i n e - p r o d u c t i o n spaces are being laid out? Goodwin: One of the big trends we are seeing is a blurring of the distinction between straight pro- duction areas and what is used for hospitality. Many of the wineries we work with now are very inter- ested in exploring how we can design production spaces such as fermentation or barrel storage rooms so they can also function as event spaces. For example, we fre- quently widen the center aisle of the barrel storage room and add in a few drop-down chandeliers on electric winches, as we did for the Trinchero Family Winery in St. Helena. This allows a 100-foot- long family-style table to be brought in for harvest or wine- club dinner service. At Law in Paso Robles, we took a similar ap- proach at the outdoor crush pad. There, the roof provides protec- tion from sun and rain, and sliding barn doors can be closed or opened to protect the guests from wind or to visually screen adjacent spaces where temporary catering equipment is set up. Another design trend we see, especially in high-end wineries, is utilizing gravity flow as op- posed to pumping during wine production. Incorporating gravity flow was an important element for winemaker Scott Hawley of Law for several reasons. It is gen- tler on the wine, but Scott also felt it was very important to have a simple facility that could con- tinue production in the event of a power outage or equipment breakdown. We were able to use the natural grades of the site in combination with our building design to help him avoid having to be dependent on electrical power and pumps. Q What other trends are you seeing for the design of hospitality spaces? Goodwin: I've already touched on how hospitality spaces aren't just in the tasting room or the courtyard anymore. A second trend is the move away from the big tasting bars where guests belly up to the bar and wait two or three deep to be poured, and then wander around through the retail space. Many of the winer- ies we are designing today strive to provide an environment where people want to spend time and relax. These environments attract a smaller number of tasting guests; however, data say they spend more per visit. Many of these spaces now resemble a lounge or private home, with small seating areas or table groups. Many wineries are taking this one step further, by including a demonstration kitchen where visi- tors can see food being prepared and hear discussions about wine and food pairings. Another trend is to make use of the beautiful views and climate a vineyard has to offer. We have added bocce courts or areas for live music performances. One side ben- efit is that outdoor spaces usually are much less expensive to build and operate than indoor spaces, so the ability to expand tasting facili- ties outside requires less invest- ment. These were the ideas our firm utilized when we recently added a public tasting room that opens onto a courtyard at Star- mont's production winery in Napa. One of the other things we've tried to do in wineries (including Trinchero and Law) is providing the visitor with the opportunity to get peeks into the production fa- cilities. So even if they're not tak- ing a tour of the winery, there are viewpoints where they can see the crush pad or, if it's the right time of year, they might see wine or fruit being processed. Other times of the year, it may be just a peek into the fermentation room or the barrel-storage room when blend- ing activities are under way. A resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Laurie Daniel has been a journalist for more than 35 years. She has been writing about wine for publications for more than 21 years and has been a Wines & Vines contributor since 2006. The barrel room at Law Estate overlooks the fermentation area, providing visitors with an opportunity to watch the action without getting in the way. Reclaimed materials were used to create this barrel display at Starmont.