Napa Valley’s Vice Versa plans to build ‘fireproof’ winery, cave in Calistoga

Vice Versa winery plans to break ground on a new winery and cave at an estate vineyard in Calistoga in late summer.

“The construction utilizes three dominant wall surfaces — Corten, a weathering steel that seals as it rusts, Kalwall, an insulated translucent panel system, and glass,” the winery stated in the announcement. “The bottom production level is softly daylit through the Kalwall panels. The upper hospitality level has 360-degree views from the fully glazed exterior walls. The covered crush pad is in the center of the winery’s ground floor, with a second-level entertainment deck overlooking the production area. The crush pad opens up to the hillside behind, with the vines cascading down the hillside, the tableau framed by the structure above.”

Olle Lundberg of Lundberg Design will design the winery and 10,000-square-foot cave. Lundberg has also designed the caves for Screaming Eagle, Ramey Wine Cellars, Hourglass Winery; and restaurants Slanted Door, Quince, Mourad and Flour + Water, the announcement stated.

“Olle’s designs are pure, modern, organic, and holistic,” stated Vice Versa founder Patrice Breton. “I wanted an avant-garde, timeless, unique, and efficient design with clean lines, a structure that merged seamlessly into the surrounding vineyard, and a fireproof building.”