Like a modern-day Stonehenge, the weathered-steel panels that surround the tasting room at the Los Milics winery, set among the rolling grasslands of southern Arizona, dominate the expansive horizon, their beauty ever-shifting according to the season. The sculptural structure offers a testament to the region’s evolving identity as a top-tier wine destination, and is designed to work in harmony with the stunning natural landscape and elevate the wine-tasting experience.
The Los Milics vineyard was set up in 2018 in Elgin, at the foot of the Mustang Mountains, by entrepreneurs Pavle Milic and Mo Garfinkle, who first connected at FnB, a highly acclaimed, award-winning Scottsdale restaurant that is co-owned by Milic. What initially began as a modest wine label soon blossomed into the expansive vineyard that exists today, with the pair cultivating an impressive selection of grape varieties, including Petit Verdot, Grenache, Tempranillo, Petit Manseng, Vermentino and Montepulciano. Milic and Garfinkle then enlisted Chen + Suchart Studio – a local architectural firm known for its minimalist approach – to design a tasting room.
Los Milics winery is an Elgin marvel
‘Its location within this unspoiled landscape served as a constant reminder of our duty to design something that enhances rather than detracts from its surroundings,’ say Thamarit Suchart and Patricia Szu-Ping Chen Suchart, the husband-and-wife duo behind Chen + Suchart. ‘In our collaborative process, one typically initiates a concept for the other to refine. Initially, the design leaned too heavily towards a conventional building. Through iterative dialogue, we reimagined the structure as an abstract form harmonising with the natural terrain.’
The steel panels line the entranceway to the tasting room itself, a 3,400 sq ft glass box which offers indoor and outdoor seating, the latter on a sheltered patio. Here, over a glass of wine, you can far-reaching views across the vines to the Mustang Mountains, whose domed top is known locally as ‘The Biscuit’. The decor is a blend of modern and rustic, courtesy of the Sucharts and interior designer Vivian Ullman, and highlights include a lengthy bar for wine sampling, a glass-walled nook, and a small-plates menu overseen by Spanish-born chef Ana Borrajo, who creates tapas-style dishes with an Arizonan twist.
‘The tasting room offers distinct zones to cater to different experiences,’ say the Sucharts. The main room is an airy open space with multiple configuration options, great for public tasting sessions and large private events, and there is also a smaller private tasting room. The minimalist interior palette, meanwhile, allows the natural landscape to be the star, with walnut detailing and dark tones softening the space.
Also in the pipeline are nine lodges, or ‘casitas’, for overnight guests. Scheduled to open later this month, they will offer the dedicated oenophile the opportunity to wake up amid the Arizona vines.
Los Milics is located at 423 Upper Elgin Rd #824, Elgin
losmilicsvineyards.com, chensuchartstudio.com
A version of this article appears in the May 2024 Milan Preview Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.
-
At the Regent Street Sensorium, architectural jelly sculptures are designed to ignite the sensesDelve into the history of London’s Regent Street through a jellyscape, a fragrance cloud and more – plus, for the event’s final week, two new immersive workshops (ends 27 April)
-
With scenography by OMA, Dior’s ‘Designer of Dreams’ exhibition in Seoul is ‘a piece of theatre’OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu catches up with Wallpaper* about the dramatic show design for the latest iteration of ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’, which opened in Seoul this weekend
-
Mercedes-Benz previews its next-gen people mover with an ultra-luxury EV conceptThe Mercedes-Benz Vision V Concept is an art deco picture palace on wheels, designed to immerse passengers in parallel worlds as they travel
-
Visit this Michelin-star New York restaurant that doubles as an art galleryArtist Mr.StarCity is exhibiting his emotionally charged yet optimistic ‘Bloomers’ portrait series at Frevo, a Greenwich Village hidden haunt
-
With glowing honeycomb-shaped booths, this futuristic Japanese restaurant is ramen heavenAfter a successful U.S. expansion, Kyuramen touches down in Los Angeles.
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Seven things not to miss on your sunny escape to Palm SpringsIt’s a prime time for Angelenos, and others, to head out to Palm Springs; here’s where to have fun on your getaway
-
At Linden Los Angeles, classic New York comfort food gets its dueThe restaurant, inspired by a stretch of boulevard bridging Brooklyn and Queens, honors legacy, community and pleasure
-
This atmospheric New York restaurant was designed to be a ‘beautiful ruin’At Leon’s, classic Italian fare comes with a North African accent and with a side of family history
-
Is a tiny tattoo the best holiday souvenir? Kimpton Hotels think soIn partnership with Tiny Zaps, Kimpton Hotels is bringing city-inspired tattoo pop-ups to five U.S. locations
-
Alba Los Angeles is an Italian vacation disguised as a restaurantThis buzzy NYC import brings a slice of la dolce vita to West Hollywood
