New look for Cathedral Cellar
2005-06-02
THE KWV re-opened its renovated Cathedral Cellar during a gala dinner on Saturday evening.
The landmark Cathedral Cellar, dating from 1930, has for the past few decades been a highlight for the thousands of tourists who do the KWV cellar tour through the Wine Emporium.
According to architect, Johan Wessels, the challenge of the project was to create a serious wine production environment which could still accommodate public access.
The idea was to give the cellar a facelift without changing its character.
The floor is one of the creative features of the renovated cellar. It consists of Paarl granite slabs with laminated wooden staves in between.
Wessels concentrated on textures and touchables - hand basins, for example, were imported from Italy.
Lighting was redesigned to be more subtle and to highlight the dome and arches of the cellar.
Whereas the cellar previously accommodated two levels of vats, the new version replaced the top storey with a gallery. This supports the vision for the Cathedral Cellar to be a corporate function venue.
The production area has been transformed into two wings with low arches that replicate the bigger dome of the central nave.
The windows have been replaced with a modern version of the age old stained glass window, designed by Anthony Lane.
The renovated cellar will be accommodating 32 “stuk” vats with a capacity of 11 500 to 12 000 litres each.
The main cellar will host 913 small barrels (capacity of 300 litres each) in the wings, whereas the basement cellar will accommodate a total of 1 100 small barrels.
The renovation process started in November 2004 and has re-established the Cellar as an architectural icon in the wine industry.
More
News
|
