Clayton Korte has created private wine storage in a cave in Texas Hill Country that sits respectfully within its natural setting.

The project is located on the site of an existing, excavated cave protected on the flanks by tall trees nearly disappearing into native landscape. It provides storage for a collection of some 4,000 bottles.

The north-facing solid limestone hillside contains an unassuming entry court that belies the space within, further camouflaged at the approach by limestone boulders collected from the excavation and lush vegetation.

The exterior opening of the cave is capped with a board-formed concrete portal, meant to weather naturally, moulded to the irregular surfaces of the limestone and retaining the mouth of the earth cut.

Within, a human-scaled and more delicate wooden module sits inside the cave to provide water-tight and temperature-controlled storage, being sure not to physically interact with the cave wall to allow circulation of air and ease of modification should the demands of the space change in future.

This project has been longlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

Architect: Clayton Korte

Project: Hill Country Wine Cave