Winery : Am Stein
Weingut am Stein is located on the steep sun-drenched slopes on the river Main. From the limestone vineyards soaring above Würzburg, winemaker Ludwig Knoll produces high-quality wines, in particular, Silvaner and the renowned Steinwein (stone wine).
Knoll, the fifth generation of his family to lead the winery, took over in 1991 and decided to add two new buildings to the existing ensemble, which would provide a memorable statement for the presentation of his wines.
"The Knoll family had signaled that it was a young, modern, simple winery," says Jochen Hofmann from the Würzburg architecture firm Hofmann, Keicher, Ring. The architecture should therefore be a “graphic representation of the Knoll wines: clear structure, straightforward, nothing superfluous. Independent and uncompromising. ”This resulted in two striking new buildings, which with their clear, cubic shapes, were deliberately planned as solitaires in the midst of the heterogeneous existing buildings.
The first new building is right at the entrance to the winery: the guest house and press house, a cube-shaped block whose limestone facade is structured by horizontal joints. The long, narrow windows continue these horizontal lines. There is a spacious guest apartment on the upper floor; below is the wine press area. From here you can see the second new building: the “WeinWerk” (Wine-Works) tasting room, which is also designed as a cube. Its unusual facade is made of green-tinted glass with wooden bars stretched vertically like a loose curtain in front of it. They break up the building’s monolithic character, but still clearly show the transitions between floors. The source of inspiration for the design of the vinotheque was the vertical structure of the vines and the horizontal gradation of the layers of earth in the surrounding vineyards.
Behind the facade there are rooms for tastings, presentations and seminars. The tinted glass and the paratactically arranged wooden beams create a fascinating play of light in the interior, which changes constantly with the position of the sun. A use of pure materials, dominated by glass, oak, exposed concrete and clay, underlines the clear lines both inside and out.
At night, the illuminated facade of the WeinWerk stands out vividly against the dark sky, when looking up from the city. During the day from the Weingut am Stein, you can enjoy the view of Würzburg, the UNESCO listed Residence, the Main valley and the surrounding vineyards. The wine press and guest house, which was completed in 2005, and the WeinWerk, which opened in 2006, have been praised and appreciated by connoisseurs of both wine and architecture. They have also received multiple awards.
