Ata Rangi aims high with “Arrow”

The dart-shaped Ata Rangi Tasting Room is an innovative design that takes advantage of the vineyard views.

Ata Rangi, the family-owned organic winery that helped pioneer wine development in Martinborough, has a sparkling new “Arrow-tip” shaped tasting facility emerging from under the canopies of mature trees.

“We had basically outgrown our original Cellar Door,” said winery co-owner Ali Paton of the 40-year-old centre which is now focused on wine sales. 

Building code changes and other requirements “made us decide, ‘right, we’ve got to do it.’” 

“With the numbers of people we were getting through (for tastings) we felt we didn’t have the space to give them a really good experience. And we didn’t have the space for wine tourism or media.”

“We didn’t have anywhere to host guest gatherings,” she added.

The result is an architect-designed triangular building “and we just fell in love with it.” Only two mature trees on the site had to be removed for the new building, which has a weatherboard exterior that will grey over time.

Inside, floor-to-ceiling windows let in sunlight filtered through leaves and guests look out on rows of vines and through to the mountains, still currently topped with snow.

Architect Beth Cameron said the “best bits” of the project included using untreated Lawson Cypress   boards inside the building from trees grown, cut, dried and milled by co-owner Clive Paton. 

Ali Paton says “we’re really pleased with it _ an intimate tasting space for 10 – 12 people, which can seat up to 30.” Pre-booking means tastings “can be curated to suit the group.” 

Ata Rangi offers “a lot” of wine styles, though “our real focus is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay,  our flagships, plus Celebre – our blend we’ve been making since 1986” along with at least six other varieties grown on 13 blocks round the area, some of which are Ata Rangi-owned or leased and some provide fruit supply from contract growers.

The public reaction to the new Cellar Door? 

“People just love it, people are really blown away.  It just works so well,” she said. “It’s going to be there in another 40 years _ or in 100 years time.”

Ata Rangi’s Arrow-tip shaped building also won a major architecture award this year, along with nearby Nga Waka’s new Cellar Door.

The judges said the finished Ata Rangi building is “truly inspired, and a triumph for all those involved, including client, architect and builder.”