Quinta de Adorigo Winery

The winery at Quinta de Adorigo, is part of a family-run wine tourism development in Portugal's Alto Douro Wine Region, a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site. The winery subtly blends into the landscape, combining tradition with innovation and sustainability. Designed to minimize environmental impact, the project utilizes existing infrastructure while anticipating future adaptations. Its curvilinear architecture echoes the zigzag vineyards without compromising functionality. Locally sourced materials such as schist, granite and wooden structures limit CO2 release.

The exceptional beauty of the natural surroundings, the millennia-old human occupations and the centuries-old tradition of wine production motivated an architectural project that honors the landscape and local culture and presents innovative construction strategies and effective sustainability. The horizontal curvilinear shapes of the winery and the circuits between areas mirror the zigzags of the vineyards in the surrounding hills and valleys. However, we avoided literally quoting the landscape, compromising daily routines, circulation and communication. On the contrary, the downward movement of the building on the terraces of the land reflects its internal mechanics, where the winemaking process takes place by gravity, a common procedure on the banks of the River Douro. The configuration of the building is therefore a set of interwoven naves that follow the existing topographic slope, replicated on the various interior levels.

Locally sourced materials such as schist and granite reduce transport emissions, while wooden structures replace concrete where possible, limiting CO2 release. Over time, the pinkish greys, greens and browns take on new hues and textures, potentiating the building's integration into the environment. The configuration of the building is a set of interlocking naves that follow the existing topographic slopes, replicated on its internal mechanics, where the winemaking process takes place by gravity. The gravitational system is a traditional solution on the banks of the River Douro and this wine cellar showcases it with all its up to-date operational capabilities. The geometry of the cellar's roof interprets the vernacular gable roof structured in wood. This structure is exposed in the winery, and has becomes a sinuous, continuous and organic sculptural element that flows through the tangential curves of the vineyards.