Ellerman House's Wine Gallery and Villa Two

all photos by Ross Hillier

The winey Wednesdays of your college days just can't hold a candle to this. Taking advantage of its location near the vineyards of Cape Town, South Africa's Ellerman House hotel has announced the opening of its stunning Wine Gallery by architect Michael Dennett.

More work of art than wine cellar, the Wine Gallery serves as both a tasting space and storage for Ellerman House's 7,500 bottle collection of rare South African wines. Natural materials are polished, sculpted, carved or left raw to reveal the intrinsic beauty of each element and reflect the organic shape of the grapevines nearby. But the main showpiece is, no doubt, the corkscrew-shaped wine rack molded of carbon fiber and holding up to 15,000 bottles, which wends its way through the gallery.

Besides the temperature-controlled subterranean cellars and the tasting room, the Wine Gallery incorporates an interactive multimedia wine library, maturation cellars for white and red wines, and a brandy tasting lounge.

A little too tipsy to stumble home? Ellerman House has conveniently built a new villa just above the Wine Gallery. Villa Two, as its called, comprises two floors of living space, terraces with views to the sea and a private infinity pool. The ultra-sleek, glass-encased interior comes courtesy of decorator Robert Pollexfen.

Suddenly, sipping pinot on my sofa doesn't seem quite as enjoyable.