Every now and then, you encounter a wine cellar designed with a little more than bare-boned functionality in mind. Wine cellars that sweep you off your feet, pulls up a chair, and invites you to stay a while – like the Clayton Korte Hill Country Wine Cave.
Conceptualised by the eponymous San Antonio-based outfit, in addition to bragging rights, this private cellar provides excellent thermal control for vino storage thanks to the colder, subterranean climate. Other features includes:
- ample space for the 4,000- bottle collection it currently houses
- tasting lounge
- bar
- restroom
- as well as a wall of windows to filter plenty of natural light in
… all embedded within a limestone cave, which itself is located at the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country (within close proximity of the owner’s ranch).
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Like the wardrobe doors to CS Lewis’ magical kingdom of Narnia itself, from the outside, this adult wonderland presents a rather unassuming entry court, revealing the goods once you cross the threshold. Waterproof, human-scale, and truly a sight to behold. In terms of dimensions, we’re talking an excavated height of five metres with a total depth of 21 metres.
“It’s like a ship in a bottle,” says Brian Korte, lead architect for the Clayton Korte Hill Country Wine Cave.
“The components of the wood insert are deliberately kept away from the existing cave walls so that the room remains adaptable.”
“In this way, the cave can be appreciated from the safety of the interior space in the same way the stars can be appreciated from the relative safety of Earth.”
Check it out below.
