One look at this Hobbit hole-like winery in the country of Georgia and you’ll fall in love with green architecture. Built three years ago in the Kakheti region, the Shilda Winery consists of three artificial caves that gently rise up from the ground, bringing the rows of grapes with them!

The 2.5 yard-spacing of the vineyard rows has translated into a striped grid that makes up the building, expressed by a series of arching beams that literally raises the vineyard up from the ground.

The rows of grapes stretch over the top, while the Caucasus Mountains in the distance ensure that the structures mix in nicely. Considerations of overall sustainability guided much of the design.

The structure’s apertures, for example, face north to escape the majority of the day’s sun exposure, while the mass from the soil serves to chill the building on a fundamental level. This also maintains the wine stored inside at ideal temperatures.

Shilda Winery, founded in 2015 among the castles and churches of Kakheti, is located in Georgia’s main viniculture region and offers more than 20 wine kinds. That’s great news.