The winery facilities of Bodegas Protos sit at the base of a small hill surmounted by the medieval castle of Peñafiel, a small village near Valladolid in Castille, Northern Spain. Protos, which means ‘first’ in Greek, was the first firm of winegrowers producing Ribera del Duero wine and was established in 1927 as a co-operative.
The new scheme effectively forms an extension of the existing winery facilities, where there are more than two kilometres of tunnels and subterranean galleries beneath the castle hill. These spaces dedicated to the production and ageing of wine will be complemented by a tunnel that connects to the new building, which presents a modern reinterpretation of traditional winery construction.
The aspiration of the client's brief was to create a building that would be emblematic and respond to its context, particularly when viewed from the castle. The design would also be sympathetic to traditional methods used in the construction of wineries. The new winery will have the capacity to process 1 million kilos of grapes per year.
The new building will consist of an underground cellar for the storage of barrels and bottles of maturing wine, a production level situated above partly buried in the ground and accommodating the fermentation and storage vats as well as the bottling plant; packaging equipment; storage for the finished product, various technical areas and vehicle access bays. These two main levels are connected to the existing wine-making facility by the tunnel, which has a single and double height links.
The cellar’s mezzanine and production levels accommodate the administrative and social facilities – offices, wine-tasting areas, areas for social functions and a small auditorium for presentations and marketing events. The scheme also includes a stepped, sunken garden which frames views of the castle above whilst also bringing natural light down into the office space. The main entrance level is for both workers and visitors, and the sheltered space generated by the overhang of the roof allows views of the production floor below. This space will be used for the selection of grapes during the harvest, which will be delivered by tractors via the ramp on the northern side of the building.