With the evolution of agriculture from a family-run, artisanal economy to an industrial scale activity, wine production was mainly concentrated in industrial style buildings lacking in any architectural inspiration, since it was limited to a purely functional role.
Thanks to a series of social, economic, and also cultural factors, this trend was even completely inverted. The challenge now lies in creating wineries that are industrial buildings suitable for production, but at the same time evocative and engaging spaces, perfectly integrated with the landscape, so that they will not alter the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside.
Showing a selection of twenty-eight wineries spread throughout Italy, this book is aimed at investigating the characteristics of each single construction, establishing and underlining the connection between the architectural structure and its role within the agricultural fabric. An oenological section examines in more detail the production in each of the wineries, analysing the organoleptic characteristics and properties of the wine, offering important suggestions for later analysis.

Luca Molinari is a curator and writer alongside his academic career and research activities. He has been teaching History of Contemporary Architecture at SUN, (Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli) since 2007 and is currently a visiting professor at the Cornell University of Architecture, Art, and Planning in Rome, and at the Fondazione Fotografia in Modena. He was the dean of the School of Design at NABA, (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) (2005-06). He has written for, and still collaborates, writing for Italian and international publications including: Corriere della Sera, La Stampa, AD, Platform, Domus, Lotus, Abitare, Ottagono, Il progetto, Archis, L’architecture d’aujourd’hui, A+U and Post. He has written the weekly architectural column for the magazine, Espresso, since 2015.