Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects

Essential to winemaking, the gravity flow system influences this winery's design

© Robert Burley

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Nestled in the bucolic Niagara wine region of southern Ontario, the Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery represents the effort of the vintner to complement the success of its label with a significant architectural presence on an estate vineyard site. Visitors approach the 43,000-square foot winery, located on 26 arable acres and surrounded by dense greenery along the edge of Two Mile Creek, by driving along demonstration vineyards to a large entry court flanked by a linear water trough and minimalist gardens.

The building's simple form, inspired by agrarian traditions, unites production and hospitality functions under a single continuous roof supported by full-span wood trusses. The Great Hall, a large two-story court with motorized glass doors at either end, serves to orient the visitor to the winery's amenities – tours, tasting bar, café, retail shop, and administrative offices – and creates a convertible space that opens to surrounding vineyards in mild weather.

The gravity flow system, used during the winemaking process, also fundamentally influenced the building design. The choreography of the winery tour and the manner in which the visitor experiences the building closely parallel this flow. From the Great Hall, the visitor ascends an exterior ramp to the fermentation tanks on the second level, then descends to the barrel cellar, where the "heat sink effect" of the surrounding earth maintains the stable, cool, and humid environment ideal for barrel aging.

Just one of the many wineries contributing to the development of Canada's wine industry, this project sets an example for neighboring vineyards by combining environmentally sensitive design with contemporary sustainable architecture.

Read more about this project in our Business Week/Architectural Record Awards section.

Formal name of Project:
Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery

Location:
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada

Gross square footage:
43,000 sq ft

Owner:
Vincor International Inc.

Architect:
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
322 King Street West, 3rd Floor
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5V 1J2
Tel 416-977-5104
Fax 416-598-9840