The Cabernet Society | Hamish Guthrie
From our table to yours, a collection of five decades of moments with the Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon as shared by our Cabernet Society in celebration of the 50th vintage release.
Author | Hamish Guthrie, Founding Principal, Hecker Guthrie
The Melbourne based interior designer behind Vasse Felix Estate's interior transformation shares his thoughts on the intricate process of designing a space fit to honour the Vasse Felix wine collection, in particular, the king of all grape varietals; Cabernet.
In designing the Estate spaces, we overlaid the robust architecture with an interior that balances the qualities of 'Raw' and 'Refined'. The inspiration of ‘Raw to Refined’ evolved from the idea of imbuing the interior spaces with a strong and meaningful connection to the wine collection itself.
In the same way that the elegance and the refinement of the bottled wine sits as a counterpoint to the rawness of the landscape and the component parts of the wine, through the exacting process of its makers. So to, the interiors were to be a clear expression of place (terroir) through materiality and palette, of its makers through design form and craft, culminating in a refined and heightened experience around the celebration and education of the wine at an intimate level of connection.
Whilst the wine history of Margaret River is a relatively young one, the history and lineage of its pioneering endeavours is indeed a significant one.
The Vault is an immersive space celebrating both the origins and the evolution of Vasse Felix, and the Margaret River Region, as makers of some of the world's finest wines. Through design, we set about creating a linear narrative celebrating this evolution from its modest and exploratory beginnings, through 50 years of vintage, to the confident and clear expression of the archetypal Cabernet Sauvignon that we celebrate today.
Located below the cellar door, we have created a heightened experience, playing off the dark and moody subterranean qualities of this space, to both elevate the Cabernet to ‘hero’ whilst showcasing the narrative of place, its pioneers and the vineyard itself for those wanting to delve deeper into their wine experience.