One of the most interesting challenges we faced during La Raia’s renovation was the building of the cellar, whose façade is a pisé (rammed earth) wall, according to Novi Ligure’s tradition.
Built according to the most advanced technological criteria, the architectural elements which distinguish it are a huge crystal façade housing the stainless steel tanks, and the rammed earth wall, built according to the ancient and sustainable pisé building technique.
To reduce the wall impact in the landscape, it had to appear as if naturally obtained by cutting the hill and merging with it. Hence the portion of soil removed during excavation has become the matrix for the new façade, making it one of the most original production sites in Piedmont and one of the most integrated with its surrounding nature, creating a belonging idea.
The use of rammed earth, following the technique developed by Austrian artist and architect Martin Rauch, seemed like the best solution both for its materiality and its clear stratigraphic appearance.
The wall was built using soil coming from excavation and the fields around the estate. It was then batched and mixed up according to grain, color and consistency. This has been Martin Rauch’s ability: he looked for the most suitable resources directly on site and created a highly organic product as a result.
Inside La Raia winery lies the barrique cellar designed by Studiodeamicis, which houses bottles from historic vintages, the large barrels used for our Gavi Pisé, and the barriques dedicated to the aging of our Piemonte Barbera Largé. The cellar, along with the great rammed‑earth wall, is one of the highlights of our wine tours.
Finally, photovoltaic panels have been installed on the winery’s roof, providing around 256 kWp of power, complemented by batteries that contribute to the winery’s energy usage.
