It is no longer acceptable in polite society to just toss back a glass (…) first, a ritual must take place, one must pay homage to precious beverage, which involves studying it with one’s eyes, then, taking its aroma, swirling it lightly in the glass… wrote Petr Volf in the book Architecture and Wine in Central Europe, published last year to accompany the exhibition of the same title in Prague.

Wine, just like architecture, has a strong appeal to our senses. We have yet to learn how to experience them fully.

The history of wine architecture dates back to the turn of the 18th into the 19th century. It was then that in one of the most appreciated wine-growing areas, in the Bordeaux region, the first structures intended exclusively for wine production were designed. Until then wine was produced in cold and dark rooms, often situated below the ground to provide the best possible climate for grape processing.