Atelier Sérgio Rebelo designed Quinta de Adorigo Winery in Tabuaço as part of a family wine tourism development in Portugal’s Alto Douro Vinhateiro. A hotel remains under construction within the wider property. UNESCO has recognized the wine-growing area as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site since 2001, and the winery responds directly to its steep terrain, established vineyards and long history of wine production.
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The architects developed the building as a sequence of curving horizontal volumes that follow the changing levels of the site. Their geometry recalls the zigzagging vineyard terraces without reproducing them literally. Instead, the descending arrangement serves the winery’s daily operation. Wine travels downward through the building through gravity, following a production method commonly used along the Douro River.
Interwoven naves organize the winery along the existing slope and translate this gravity-fed process into architectural form. The roof reinterprets the region’s traditional timber gable construction through laminated wood frames and CLT panels. Its continuous geometry follows the curved configuration of the building and remains visible inside, giving the production spaces a distinct structural character.
Atelier Sérgio Rebelo selected schist, granite, timber and concrete in tones related to the surrounding geology and vegetation. Prefabricated GRC cladding panels came from a manufacturer located less than 150 kilometers from the winery, reducing transportation distances and limiting construction activity on the property. Timber structures replace concrete where the building rises above the ground. According to the project team, this decision reduced associated CO2 emissions by 40 percent compared with an entirely concrete structure.
The partially buried configuration also supports temperature control. The southern side remains in contact with the earth, using ground inertia to protect the wine ageing spaces from large seasonal temperature changes. The principal façade faces north and receives limited direct sun. These passive measures help maintain interior temperatures between 14 and 16°C while exterior temperatures can range from -5°C in winter to 45°C in summer.
A low-enthalpy geothermal system works alongside local electricity production and centralized energy management. The project also addresses the absence of a public water supply through rainwater collection, artesian boreholes and systems that treat and reuse water for irrigation, cleaning and firefighting. Permeable exterior paths and parking areas return rainwater to agricultural use.
The visitor experience occupies the main façade. An entrance leads to reception and a wine shop, followed by a meeting room enclosed with glass and a tasting area arranged as a broad balconied gallery. From here, visitors can look into the central wine ageing nave while also viewing the vineyards and Douro River.
A large terrace connects these interiors with the vineyards and nearby chapel and provides space for events. Outside, paths, patios and planted areas use native species that support local fauna beneficial to the vineyards. Through its structural system, water management, energy strategy and close relationship with the terrain, Quinta de Adorigo turns the requirements of wine production into the primary logic of the architecture.
