Cantina Ottoventi, Valderice

Mount Erice towers over the western Sicilian plain and it is at the foot of this mountain that the interesting, noteworthy Ottoventi winery can be found. The complex draws inspiration from the bagli, traditional rural Sicilian settlements comprised of a farmhouse and a courtyard that dot the countryside in these parts. This complex, though, is open to using a language of the past. It is the product of combinations, three-dimensional volumes and focusing on the different functions of the building. All the varying elements contribute to reveal the productive nature of this site, the desire to provide sophisticated, eclectic wine tasting areas, and both indoor and outdoor spaces where top-class events can be held. The C-shape layout with symmetrical wings encloses a sizeable, trapezoidal courtyard that is fenced and faces south towards the plain below. This silent, rough and slightly sloping courtyard is the centre of a series of buildings that are visually different and used for different purposes, but of comparable height. On the eastern side of the courtyard, the wing of the building draws inspiration from industrial architecture, with a double pitch roof supported by metal trusses highlighted by what is like a raised skirting board. Inside, the double-height hall hosts silver metal wine fermentation vessels that form an imposing and repeated presence, a sequence of monumental technical equipment. The western wing of the courtyard and the middle building, both with flat roofs, have different functions. The overall perspective is reminiscent of an urban setting, with plastered walls next to regular sandstone geometrical inserts. The large openings create different depths. The point of connection between the two buildings is striking. It is a parallelepiped - with walls coated in sandstone and high windows - that stands apart from the wings and contains the stairwell. This element breaks the solid volumes of the wings, bringing lightness, as one might expect from a joint. Likewise, almost as if in a city landscape, the western wing of the courtyard emphasizes the entrance to the hall used for events. The design includes an intermediate space for the glazed entrance that is formed by a recess in the volume framed by trusses and uprights. The centre of the winery - the area where the wine is made and where people gather to taste it - is created by linking spaces and architectural features, with overlapping and condensed functional and expressive ideas. In short, the aim is to create an active centre. The barrique cellar where the wine is aged is a visually intense place that could be compared to an underground path with a pebbled floor. It is an area where the senses are saturated. The floor of the space leading into the events hall is glass supported by a regular mesh frame, allowing light into the barrique cellar below. The resultant effect is that of an opaque filter that highlights the criss-cross pattern of the frame as the light changes. This area is the epitome of the quest for elegance in the interior public spaces. The wine tasting room, located on the ground floor between the production (bottling and wine labs) and storage areas, is about decoration and design sophistication. The appealing effect is created through the tone of the furniture, the contrasts on the walls between the dark backdrops and the light geometrical patterns, the floor shining with reflections and the stream of pebbles lying at the foot of the walls. The architecture of Ottoventi becomes a synthesis of composite elements and a tale of a changing landscape. It is about production, searching and a contemporary feel.

Francesco Pagliari