The Wine Chapel is a premium, high end, tasting space designed to enhance and raise the bar of tourism offerings in the region for both domestic and international tourists.

It is a brand new building and terrace that sits separate to the current cellar door. A T-Qual grant was received to help build this space.

The building was designed by Simon Rodrigues from Rodrigues Bodycoat Architects and is a strong and simple statement with a sense of integrity and honest materiality that provides a muted backdrop to the tasting of fine wine. The building consists of an entrance lobby, lounge, wine tasting room, separate temperature controlled cellar, commercial kitchen, unisex universal access toilet, unisex toilet and bin access areas. The building has been designed as a singular rectangular volume constructed from materials such as off form concrete, naturally weathered Cyprus Pine, recycled European oak and burnished black iron, each with a strong sense of their own natural beauty.

The interior and vine lighting in the tasting area was created by Red Brown. The vine lights are actual 38 year old vines that come from the Burch Family Wines Abercrombie Vineyard, one of their vineyards that produce the flagship Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon. The separate temperature controlled cellar features a display of museum wines including the very first Howard Park Riesling and Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon produced and the original MadFish Premium White and Red on display to show the history and progression of the development of Burch Family Wines over nearly 30 years. Some back vintage wines and large format wines will be made available for sale. The tasting area accommodates for groups of thirty people and there is a commercial kitchen attached so visiting chef cooked meals can be organised.

The Wine Chapel interior design was inspired by the rich past of Burch Family Wines, but reconceived with a modern perspective. Behind every chosen piece is an interesting story which makes these pieces particularly special and niche. The idea is that visitors can fully experience the lifestyle that comes with the exceptional wine produced and the natural beauty of this region, and hence chose pieces with a classic heritage but with a raw finish which makes it contemporary and relevant.

Redbrown design philosophy is that “In everything we do, we want it to be unique, to be best in class, or we won’t do it.”

The entry door to the Wine Chapel is inspired by the ‘Howard Park Trees’ artwork by Andrew Carter which sits in the current cellar door. Andrew Carter has established himself over the past 12 years as one of the country’s leading production designers in dance, pursuing parallel careers in both painting and design. He completed studies at Yale University where he received his Master’s Degree (MFA 84) and since returning to Australia has been the recipient of several grants and awards for his contribution to visual arts. The door is made from dressed steel.

Like the cellar door, the building is orientated north in line with Feng Shui considerations.

The garden path that links the original building with the new Wine Chapel flows with the landscaping created by Seaside Landscapes.