Blenheim Vineyards

Open: Year Round

Designed by Dave Matthews and master craftsman William Johnson and finished in 2000, the Blenheim Vineyards winery building was designed to have minimal impact on the environment.

The building is split into the tasting room above, from which you can peer through paneled glass floors into the wine production facility below, which is kept cool by being nestled into the side of a hill. Constructed from reclaimed wood fitted together with mortise and tenon joints, the timber frame tasting room is lined with south-facing windows and skylights, which facilitate full daylighting of the space. In fact, no electricity is required to light the space in the summer. In the winter, the lights are only turned on once it gets dark outside, and the tasting room benefits from passive solar heating throughout the day as well.