Building a good winery hasn't always called for the touch of an architectural megastar, but label owners have long had a soft spot for a good designer to flourish. In Bordeaux, back when no tourist in their right mind would consider just 'stopping by', you could still find frills: an impractical marble floor in a bottling hall or a mock-gothic chateau, built to look good on a label. But it was Napa Valley's Robert Mondavi who hoisted the game to a new level. He was the first to open his doors to sightseers.
'Pre-1980 wineries were not visited in general, so their reasons for looking good were different ... more about keeping up with the Joneses,' says Robert Joseph, author of the Wine Travel Guide to the World and founder of Wine International magazine. 'Now about seven million tourists visit Napa each year - more than Disneyland. The Mondavi Winery is like the Eiffel Tower.'