Project: Argyle Winery Tasting House
Architecture and Interior Design: SERA Architects
Contractor: Lease Crutcher Lewis
Location: Dundee, Oregon
Text by SERA Architects
Shifting wine production from Dundee to nearby Newberg provided Argyle Winery Tasting House with the chance to reinvent its visitor experience and transform what was once wine production facilities into a world-class, 21st-century wine destination. Starting with a master plan of the 2.5-acre site, a concept was developed that blended past with present.
Located next to a busy highway in the Willamette Valley, the complex offers the perfect opportunity to tell the story of Argyle and its wines. A new entry pavilion was created by repurposing an existing warehouse that formerly housed crush pad equipment. The warehouse’s corrugated metal siding was stripped away to become a semi-protected pavilion, showcasing its elegant metal structural frame. The pavilion leads guests to the heart of the site—the new Tasting House.
The Tasting House, another converted warehouse, is where visitors come together to relax, taste, and learn about wine. Old growth Douglas fir, discovered during the former building’s deconstruction, was used to make all of the shelving, tables, paneling, and the tasting bar. In addition to housing a Tasting Room, amenities include a climate-controlled wine library that showcases more than 4,000 bottles of wine, and the tirage library, which displays vintage sparkling wines. The Argyle Reserve Cellar offers the full line of Argyle’s current wines for purchase while a conference room for educational events rounds out the facilities. Since the redevelopment, the winery has seen a 225% increase in visitors.
During construction, 100 percent of the concrete and steel was recycled or repurposed with some elements, such as siding, roofing, and fixtures, finding new life as primary design features. As materials were deconstructed, they were catalogued and assessed for potential reuse. Throughout the site, remnant foundations were preserved as evidence of the complex’s past. The result is that materials are celebrated in their natural state, in some cases even when less than perfect. In one instance, the wood beams of one building had warped and twisted as a result of not having a strong base to sit on. Rather than hide these structural flaws, the design allows these beams to protrude from the wall and display their spiraling shapes—an homage to the building’s history and a subtle nod to the nature of nature.
