17 March 2022

What’s the biggest challenge of renovating a castle? When asked, Eliza Brown is quick to say balance— whether that’s ensuring the authenticity of the castle remains while modernising it or giving warmth to a building with much brick. And while doing all this, to also provide connection to our incredible landscape, acknowledge family and deliver an exceptional experience for our customers.

Upon entering the newly renovated heritage-listed cellar door, guests will walk under a black shroud from the entrance, which tempers their eyesight. This will reveal a concrete walkway to the cellar door tasting area, and bullnose-shaped terrazzo and scalloped timber bar, sure to be the highlight of the room.

Lead designers on the project Techne Architects have been an incredible partner in bringing our vision to life. “The space was very much a heritage site, and we worked within the great bones of the building to transition a traditional cellar door to a contemporary wine bar set up. Part of our brief was to elevate the space more generally and give it an aspirational and lively feel” says Techne Director Nick Travers.

The stunning counter in white terrazzo has functional benefits too. Customers will quickly see the appearance and colour of our wines when tasting. Another notable addition is the new private tasting room, available to our loyal Wine Royalty members. It will have a see-through cabinet looking through to the cellar door, plus newly installed skylights. “I wanted a warm and inviting space with lots of natural light,” says All Saints Estate Director Eliza Brown.

A newly built retail area with metal racking and interactive displays will share the stories on family, winemaking, and viticulture. There will be a large rotunda that highlights our new release wines, and then on the southern side of the wall, a display of our vintage wines, some of which have been housed in our Family Cellar since the 1960s.

Three large tables for seated bookable tastings will be perfect for groups for friends and family who want to learn more about the Estate wines. The tables in the Cellar Door will all be beautifully tiled with mosaic, adding an interesting texture and complementing the counter terrazzo.

“This Cellar Door will blur the line between a wine tasting site and a more relaxed wine bar.” 

Techne’s Director Nick Travers said “a sensitivity towards the atmosphere of the wine bar was really important. It is all about creating an atmosphere that is hospitable, social, and engaging. We used barrelcurves and bullnose shapes to encourage seamless movement through the space, and we designed different seating options to distinguish the tasting area from the bar itself.

This cellar door will blur the line between a wine tasting site and a more relaxed wine bar. This isn’t seen at many wineries across Australia, but winemakers are now considering ways to encourage visitors to stay on their property longer than the standard wine tasting experience. The design of the wine bar really encourages people to socialise and unwind over the course of an entire afternoon or evening.”

In the sitting area near the restaurant, guests will enjoy a glass of wine near a suspended fireplace that looks out through floor to ceiling windows and brings in freshly landscaped garden beds featuring mixed height concrete planters. At the other entry, our original doorway which led down to the Great Hall, will also be new and feature a blackened steel glass door.

We hope you’ll stay tuned to social media as we share updates on the build over the coming months.

Follow @allsaintsestate on Instagram for the latest updates.