Wineries

Construction of a vat room

Vat room - Find out how to organize the construction or extension of a vat room.

Do you have a project to build or extend a vat room, ageing cellar, vat room or winery? The central point of any winery, it's a highly strategic location. That's where the magic happens! Consequently, any construction, extension, renovation or refurbishment project is bound to have an impact on wine production. However, such work is sometimes necessary to optimize wine production and working methods. So, whether you have a winery in Burgundy, Provence or Bordeaux, we're here to share our top tips for successfully building or extending your vat room and winery.

Contents – Construction of a vat room :

What are the main issues involved in building or extending a vat room or winery ?
What technical choices should be made when building or extending a vat room or winery ?
How can I steer my winery construction or extension project towards a more responsible approach ?
How to start building or extending a vat room or winery ?
What are the key stages in successfully building or extending a vat room or winery ?
How do you choose the right architect to help you build or extend a vat room or winery ?
How to launch a project to build or extend a vat room or winery ?
Why organize an architectural competition for the construction or extension of a vat room or winery with Because Architecture Matters ?

What are the main issues involved in building or extending a vat room or winery?

The layout and design of a wine cellar or vat room is unique to each winery.
In fact, each winegrower and winemaker has his or her own working methods and preferred tools.
Of course, this space needs to be adapted to the size of the operation and the desired production volume.
However, a vat room construction project is a very strategic moment in the development of a winery or wine estate.
This is where a large part of the processing takes place.
As a result, it’s crucial to pay close attention to this project, as it will have a major impact on a number of points.
It will enable you to :

On the one hand, you need to size your production area in relation to the volume you’re planning.
On the other hand, you need to organize the entire workspace, streamlining flows and circulation.
This will enable you to better optimize work processes and methods, facilitating collaboration between winegrowers, cellarmen, cellar masters, winemakers…
Last but not least, make sure you’re up to date on safety, health and environmental regulations.

How we helped the Rothschild family renovate and extend their winery: Château Lafite Rothschild .

Discover the project

What technical choices should be made when building or extending a vat room or winery ?

The vat room is first and foremost a key workspace where different trades work together.
As such, this area must meet your needs.
For this reason, we advise you to think carefully about maintaining circulation spaces that will enable optimal flow management.
This will ensure smooth winemaking processes and optimize the space available in the vat room.
That’s why we advise you to consider several points:

Our advice on the shape and design of a vat room:

The shape of the vat you choose plays an essential role in the aging of the wine and in optimizing the space available in the vat room.
So, if you’re planning to change your vat system at the same time as extending or building your vat room, we advise you to take a close look at the different vat shapes available:

Cylindrical wine tanks: if you’re looking for an economical, versatile system (can also be used for storage, blending, transfer, etc.) that’s easy to clean (grape marc scraping, etc.).
Elliptical wine tank: the perfect shape if the winemaker wants to give his wine more fruit.
Positioned horizontally, the wine will be in closer contact with the sides of the tank.
Ovoid wine vats: these are the most modern vats and, above all, will give your vat room an attractive appearance.
Truncated vat: this type of vat, which can also be round, oblong or inverted, is ideal for preserving wine and has a capacity of between 30 and 100 hectolitres.
Parallelepiped wine vat: this type of vat optimizes the space available in your vat room and is easy to store and stack.
Made-to-measure tanks: this is obviously the solution that best suits your vat room, but it’s also the most expensive.

Our recommendations for systems that simplify vat cleaning:

First and foremost, use light-colored, easy-to-clean materials for flat surfaces such as floors and walls.
For this reason, we recommend tiles or epoxy resin.
Avoid porous or rough materials such as wood or plaster.
And don’t forget to think about the flow of waste, with gutters, traps or drainage systems at the foot of the vats.
This will greatly facilitate daily cleaning of your vat room.
Last but not least, think about equipping yourself with the right tools, such as a press, a de-stemmer, a juice collecting tray… These will help you manage the flow of produce and keep your workspace clean.

Our advice on tools to optimize wine production:

This type of project enables us to overhaul our working methods and optimize them using new tools.
The aim is to improve vat room productivity.
These include cooling coils, for example.

How can I steer my winery construction or extension project towards a more responsible approach ?

In recent years, many wineries have decided to turn to more responsible production.
Both in terms of vineyard management and wine-making.
The construction or extension of a winery can be an opportunity to take a step further.
Why not embark on the construction of a bioclimatic winery, for example, which will be more sustainable.

Straw wine-making cellar
Raw earth wine-making cellar
Underground wine-making cellar

How to start building or extending a vat room or winery ?

It’s a major investment that will have a lasting impact on your estate’s production over the medium and long term.
Consequently, this impact will determine the evolution of the winery and the direction it will take.
That’s why we advise you to surround yourself with construction professionals who are experts in the wine sector, so as to frame this project in the best possible way.
To this end, it’s customary for architects with experience in wine cellars or wineries to collaborate with a specialized technical design office (BET).
In this way, they can work together to develop the vat room and select the right tools, laid out in the most optimal way possible.

What are the key stages in successfully building or extending a vat room or winery ?

First of all, we recommend that you take a moment to consider a few key questions to help you define and prioritize your project.
This will help you create a preliminary specification.
For example, you might ask yourself:

First of all, what surface area do I need for my wine storehouse to accommodate my vats?
Would I like to set up a dedicated tasting cellar to welcome my customers?
Do I intend to develop a complementary activity on site, such as catering or hotel services?
Do I therefore need to create a bridge with the winery area?

How do you choose the right architect to help you build or extend a vat room or winery ?

The architect who accompanies you in this project is an expert capable of understanding your needs, criteria and expectations, while respecting your budget.
In fact, he or she will be able to collaborate with a specialized technical design office to optimize the various spaces in your vat room and choose the most appropriate tools.
In addition to his expertise in architectural design, his role will also be to oversee the proper execution of the work.
And this is done by all the trades involved in fitting out your winery.

To find out more, read our advice on building or renovating a wine cellars with the help of an architect.

You are planning to build or renovate a winery ?

How to launch a project to build or extend a vat room or winery ? Organizing an architectural competition

Managing a project to fit out a winery while continuing to work as a winegrower or winemaker can quickly become complex.
What’s more, it’s not always easy to find the right architect to work with you.
That’s why we recommend organizing an architectural competition for your project.
This will allow you to explore different visions for the layout of your winery before committing yourself to a specific architect.
And, above all, to choose the one who will best match your technical and aesthetic expectations.
At Because Architecture Matters, we’re with you every step of the way:

First of all, we work together to draw up precise technical specifications, guaranteeing the success of the competition.
We then analyze all the applications received to present you with only the most relevant projects.
Last but not least, we’ll act as your project management assistant throughout the construction phase, right up to handover, to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Why organize an architectural competition for the construction or extension of a vat room or winery with Because Architecture Matters ?

We organize customized architectural competitions for private clients seeking architectural excellence and environmental performance.

Inspire architectural creation: Competitions stimulate teams to push back their limits and design innovative, high-quality projects.
All the while respecting your budgetary requirements and expectations.
Put ecology at the heart of your project: By working with BAM, you make ecology a central part of your approach. To find out more, read all our advice on renovating and refurbishing an eco-responsible winery here.
Encourage the emergence of new talent: By opting for a competition, you offer promising young agencies the opportunity to propose original and daring ideas for your project.
Strengthen links with your community: The competition is an excellent opportunity to promote your projects and engage your community (employees, customers, communities, etc.) throughout the process.
Optimize your investment: The competition helps you save time and money.
By comparing the overall cost of a building’s life with the benefits of a well-designed project (well-being, flexibility, image, operation), you’ll discover the added value that a competition can bring.