Bodegas y Viñedos La Mejorada – architect Rafael Moneo’s personal passion

02/02/2012

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History, tradition, climate and environment are the core elements shared by the worlds of architecture and wine. In recent years, Spain has been witness to several initiatives which have strived to compare the importance of bodega spatial conception and design with the traditional, painstaking work of winemaking. Currently, the Marqués de Riscal bodega, designed by Frank O. Ghery, the Ysios building, by Santiago Calatrava, and the CVNE Viña Real bodega, by Philippe Maziéres, are just some of the examples of how architecture collaborates to integrate landscape, functionality and aesthetics in every process involved in winemaking. However, prestigious Navarra-born architect, Rafael Moneo, has taken things one stop further by involving himself in the Bodegas y Viñedos La Mejorada venture, where architecture, historical tradition, and the interpretation of soils and vineyards give rise to the unique identity which characterises the wines made there.

Architect Rafael Moneo, born in Tudela (Navarra) in 1937, is one of the most prominent figures in his profession both at home and abroad. His extensive career has led him to embark on numerous projects of the magnitude of the Madrid Atocha Railway Station, the Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium in San Sebastián, and the Museo del Prado enlargement project, also in Madrid. Among his many accolades, Rafael Moneo boasts the Bellas Artes Gold Medal of Merit bestowed by the Spanish Government, was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa from the Université de Louvain (Belgium) and has been recognised with several honours such as the Pritzker Architecture Prize, and a Gold Medal from the Académie d'architecture in France.

The works of Rafael Moneo have always strived to develop a clear dialogue between a building and its surroundings, be they rural or urban. The idea of permanence and integration were applied by the Navarra architect in his first venture into the world of wine: the facilities at Señorío de Arínzano, owned by Bodegas Chivite. In this project Rafael Moneo opted for sobriety and harmony for the group of buildings belonging to the bodega: a 14th century medieval tower, a neoclassical chapel and a ‘caserón’ (large manor house), which are surrounded by the vinification building giving rise to a triangular formation enclosed by a natural forest which hems in the facilities.