Rothbury Estate
data, awards, description –
The opening of The Rothbury Estate in 1972 coincided with the launch of their first vintage. It was also the first time in Australia that contemporary architecture was used as a promotional tool for wine.
The winery cuts into the side of a gently sloping hill to facilitate the initial off-loading of grapes and movement through the crushers. From here, the crushed grapes are pumped to the presses or fermentation tanks.
The lower floor levels house the receiving, preparation, fermentation, storage and dispatch area. The first floor incorporates the administrative offices, Director’s suite and the Cask Hall, which houses sixty-five 1000 gallon oak casks for red wine maturation. Designed to reflect the spirit of the new company yet evoke the old world charm of wine cellars, the hall also serves as a tasting and banquet room. Lit from a central row of skylights and protected from sun penetration by fine aluminium louvre screens, it is lined with a framework of sawn ironbark, which supports the casks on two levels, braces internal walls and supports the roof.
- Date1971
- ClientThe Rothbury Estate
- CostA$463 000 (including plant)
- GFA2,652 m²
