A great wine legacy. Housing in a Bodega de Jerez by Iniesta Nowell Arquitectos

Description of project by Iniesta Nowell Arquitectos

House in a Sherry Bodega
In the city of Jerez de la Frontera, wineries sit side by side with the rest of the houses to shape the historic centre, establishing a unique city skyline that is closely linked to the wine-making tradition in this part of southern Spain. The “soleras and criaderas” system allows the wine to age in barrels arranged in vertical structures inside a specific type of cellar which needs to be large, dark, ventilated, and cool.

These spaces have an unforgettable aroma and are dark save for the occasional ray of light.

From the end of the 18th Century, sherry wine began to be exported worldwide and the winemakers went from operating domestically to industrially without leaving the city. As a result, this city in the south of Spain has been shaped by its connection to wine production. In addition to the cellars, a whole array of streets, squares, and extra spaces have been needed for various maintenance tasks; cleaning and repairing barrels.

Over time, many of these buildings have been repurposed for multiple uses: shops, offices, gyms, homes…

The winery in this project was previously used as a furniture warehouse and was left abandoned when we were contacted to transform it into a house.


Housing in a Bodega de Jerez by Iniesta Nowell Arquitectos. Photograph by Rafael Iniesta Nowell.

From the available documentation, we were able to ascertain that it was a small domestic winery, possibly linked to a house that has since disappeared. The deeds mention a maintenance alleyway, but this was impossible to see in the condition it was left in.

Restoring this winery was undoubtedly an opportunity to find a part of the old city – the network of service alleys that make up the “second city” connected to the world of Jerez wine. A city within a city.

We started with a very compact building without ventilation, then decided to work inversely by finding the remains of the service alley and opening up a new back terrace. This is a place for getting together, as well as to cool off in the small pool.

The living room and kitchen are located on the main façade, preserving the monumental character provided by the building’s original height, while to the rear the rooms are arranges on two levels with views over the patio with the pool. There are open-plan spaces which allow for a view through the whole building, both from south to north and east to west.

The project became a process of studying and adapting the pre-existing structure, where we have worked with systems and materials commonly used in winery architecture: local limestone, lime, pine, and iron.

Out of a deep respect for the typology and building methods, we have renovated a forgotten structure into a Mediterranean, Andalucian house. At the same time, we have put part of the urban fabric of the city of wineries back into service, which continues to define Jerez today.



Housing in a Bodega de Jerez by Iniesta Nowell Arquitectos. Photograph by Rafael Iniesta Nowell.

Values associated with rehabilitation, renovation and regeneration
The action is approached from the point of view of urban "recycling", transforming an old disused industrial structure into a dwelling. The city of Jerez de la Frontera is itself made up of a network of warehouses that coexist with the rest of the buildings.

Such is the number of these warehouses that during the 19th century an edict was issued to move them to the outskirts of the city, as the parishes in the historic centre within the walls were running out of worshippers.

It is necessary to think of voluminous buildings that made up an urban network with their own streets and squares, a "cellar city" where dwellings and the frenetic activity of the wine world coexisted in the same space.

The present project is based on the recovery of one of these disused winemaking centres, something that over time has been necessary in many cases owing to the abandonment and decline of the wine-making activity.

This is an operation that enhances the value of the urban fabric associated with the building as well as the winery itself. An old "almizcate" (alley) is adapted for its use, enlarging it to house a new courtyard that frees up the plot and allows the recovered building to be ventilated as a dwelling.

The process also delves into the traditional construction style of the bodegas of Jerez using local materials such as local limestone, lime and pine wood.
It is a new incentive for a declining area, a forgotten part of the city that has been put into service and recovered for the renovation and regeneration of the historic city centre.