Nestled amongst the Victorian Alps is Delatite Cellar Door, a tasting bar and small restaurant that provides award winning wine and food with sweeping views across Taungurung Country.

The site is made up of a series of individual pavilions that are anchored into the landscape with timbercrete masonry. Expansive decks, terraces, and courtyards extend the perimeter of each structure and create a seamless connection to the outdoors, while inside timber lining references the construction of local cattlemen’s huts and tall chimneys and skylights punctuate spark a dialogue with the original winery building.

The palette draws upon the deep hues of the Howqua River and the rugged high-country bushland. Inspired by the ever changing vineyard, the deep green tasting bar reflects the verdant tint of Delatite’s Riesling, and the burgundy tones of the dining room mimic the cool climate wines.

Importantly, the building is 100 per cent electric, including the commercial kitchen, all heating and cooling. A solar panel array and storage battery makes the new cellar door operationally net-zero while on-site waste management for sewage and water give the site a built-in resilience.

Furniture: District, Grazia and Co, Thonet, Hospitality Furniture Concepts. Lighting: Ambience Lighting, Richmond Lighting, Lumil, Mark Douglass, Design Nation, IE Francis, Gardens at Night. Finishes: Timbercrete. Fittings & Fixtures: Lindsey Wherrett Ceramics, Phoenix Tapware, Nood, Brodware, Reece, Design Stuff, Big Ass fans, Henry Wilson, Wignells.

Photography: Derek Swalwell