The east patio of Taylors new cellar door. Photo: Anson Smart.

Family-owned Taylors Wines opened the doors today to its new multi-million dollar cellar door in the Clare Valley, South Australia. Led by GP Architects, Cook Building and Georgie Shepherd Interior Design, the new build features a main tasting room and member’s tasting room, as well as a courtyard, patio, purpose-built event pavilion, and an electric vehicle charging station.

“This is the beginning of an exciting new era for our family winery. We wanted to elevate the experience with this new cellar door, so there are no half measures,” said Mitchell Taylor, third-generation winemaker and managing director.

The new cellar door is the first significant update to Taylors’ hospitality offering since the winery was established in 1969, and is a move away from its existing cellar door in the main winery building, instead situated on a new site on the front lawn of the property, as an extension from the original homestead.

“Every detail in the project is considered, with design features that are sophisticated while being warm and inviting. The space truly reflects our family and the Taylors story, and we hope it will be the first point of call for visitors to our wonderful region,” said Taylor.

The main tasting room features a circular, tiled fireplace as the centrepiece of the room, and exposed timber and metal roof trusses to create a modern take on the classic Australian barns dotted across the region. Seahorse emblems and limestone are used throughout the new build, paying tribute to the fossilised seahorses found by the family in the vineyard’s limestone bedrock when the estate was established over 50 years ago.

Sustainability has been a focus for the project, with EV charging stations, solar panels and water conservation all included in the build.

The private Collector’s Club members’ room offers groups of up to 18 a space to conduct hosted tastings and events, offering guests 180° views of Taylors’ estate.

A purpose-built event pavilion is designed to enable events to occur without disrupting normal trading of Taylors’ cellar door. The covered event space features a bar service area and allows for up to 60 seated guests for public and private events.

“Our goal has been to create a space that epitomises both Taylors Wines and the Clare Valley – it’s an original style all of its own,” said Kristina Soggee, the senior architect on the project.

As part of the venue launch, Taylors have introduced a range of tasting experiences, now offering a wine and locally-sourced cheese tasting and a wine and chocolate tasting, with guided Flagship Wines tasting experience also available, offering guests tastes of Taylors’ pinnacle wines.

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