For a few years now, wineries and vineyards have been factoring architecture into their brands as a way to increase the exclusivity of their offerings. When visitors come to a winery, not only can they expect to sample some of the delicious wines produced on site, but they can now also have contemporary gastronomic experiences, luxurious stays in boutique hotels attached to the vineyard, and tours of the grounds and wine-producing equipment. To top it all off, these new features are often housed in sleek, modern buildings that epitomize the sophistication of viticulture and all its trappings.

Such is the case with a new winery complex in Krasnodar Krai, a Russian wine town in the country’s North Caucasus region near the Black Sea. Located on a hilltop, the new winery of the locally famous Gai-Kozdor wine label was envisaged as a one-stop-shop for visitors to the area, and it includes not only the winery and wine production facilities, but also a museum, entertainment and hospitality areas, and an educational sector. This type of complex is common in many modern wine towns, from Bordeaux in France to Mendoza in Argentina, and the Russians are keen to hold their own against their international counterparts.
The winery was designed by Russian studio Kleinewelt Architekten. One of the firm’s three founders, Nikolay Pereslegin, explained: “Gai-Kodzor wine is served in any neighboring restaurant, so it was necessary to come up with some ideas that would attra...