Burbank Ranch Winery builds a new cellar, storage, and tasting room facility in Paso Robles’ El Pomar District
By the end of 2014, Burbank Ranch Winery, one of Paso Robles’ most popular up-and-coming producers, will boast a new 19,000-square-foot processing, storage, and tasting facility in addition to its current downtown tasting room and bistro.
“We planted grapes in 2008 and reserved a space on the hillside between blocks eleven and twelve – Zinfandel and Tempranillo – for a tasting room and processing facility,” said Fred Burbank, owner of the 80-acre Burbank Ranch along with his wife, Melody Burbank. “This building is the last piece of the puzzle.”
Plans for the Burbanks’ multi-tasking facility came to fulfillment via architect, Garth Kornreich, who is responsible for the design of several Central Coast wineries. His plan for the new building incorporates the rolling hills of the El Pomar District to create two levels with distinct functions.
“With a sloping site and a condensed working area, we had to stack the winery to fit everything,” said Kornreich. “It made sense to put the working end of the winery on the lower floor and the visitor side above.”
To maximize the views afforded from the tasting room floor, Kornreich positioned the bar to face large windows overlooking the vineyard.
“The vineyard itself is a work of art – the way it winds around the creeks and conforms to the slope of the land – so we wanted to make sure guests get a great view. And from the vineyard, we wanted to ensure that the building’s shape reflects the slope of the land and appears to grow out of it.”
As for the lower level, about 5,000 square feet are carved into the earth, creating an underground storage vault for barrels and case goods. “The steep slope of the site lent itself to burying the vault behind the processing area,” said Kornreich, who also planned for a steep driveway to the upper level. “Visitors will literally park on top of the barrel storage vault,” he said.
“We modeled the bottom floor on European facilities, which often use underground storage to maximize temperature control and energy efficiency,” said Burbank, for whom sustainability and SIP Certification (Sustainability In Practice) standards are of paramount importance.
- Kornreich included many additional green features into plans for the facility, including:
- Large windows in the processing area to allow for natural light and reduced lighting loads
- Orientation that keeps sunlight from directly striking windows and trapping heat
- A sloped roof that allows for natural low-to-high ventilation to invite cooling night air
- Eleven-inch-thick insulated walls in the processing area to retain cool night air even in the heat of summer
- Large overhangs to help shade west-facing windows in the tasting room
- Waste water collection in underground tanks for distribution back into the vineyard.
With current winemaking operations off-site, Owners Fred and Melody Burbank look forward to the end of 2014, when winemaking, processing, case storage and offices exist in one location.
For more information on the new Burbank Ranch Winery facility, or on their popular bistro and tasting room in beautiful downtown Paso Robles, please visit www.BurbankRanch.com.
About Burbank Ranch Winery & Bistro
Comprised of vineyards in Paso Robles’ El Pomar District, a downtown Paso Robles eatery and full service tasting room, Burbank Ranch Winery & Bistro is devoted to producing food-friendly wines that elegantly complement their own house-made fresh market cuisine. Established by Fred and Melody Burbank in 2008, the 45-acre Burbank Ranch vineyard is SIP-certified and planted to 16 varieties, including many of those the Burbanks have tasted and enjoyed throughout extensive travels in Italy, France, Spain, and beyond. Both WSET-certified, Fred and Melody chose the El Pomar District for its terroir, which is ideally suited to producing the balanced, food-friendly wines about which they are so passionate. At Burbank Ranch Bistro, these wines are available in thoughtfully-curated flights or by the glass, and are complemented by nouvelle French-California cuisine crafted from the freshest possible ingredients. Burbank Ranch Winery & Bistro serves lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday, and is located just one block off Paso Robles’ charming City Park at 1240 Park Street, Paso Robles, CA 93446. Limited reservations are available by phoning 805.227.4538. For more information, please visit www.BurbankRanch.com.
