Clayton Korte Architects has built a wine cellar in the rolling hills of Texas, hidden in a limestone cave so it disappears into the surrounding landscape. The cave is near the owner's ranch in the rugged countryside around Austin. The cellar includes a tasting room, bar and restroom, and 4,000 bottles of wine are kept at optimum temperatures due to the cold underground climate. When local firm Clayton Korte (formerly Clayton & Little) began working on the project, the owners had already dug a tunnel 18 feet (5 meters) high and 70 feet (21 meters) deep into the hillside.

The entrance is capped with a board-formed concrete portal, which helps to hold back any loose stones or gravel while melding the wooden volume with the irregular surface of the limestone.Eventually, this will be overgrown by native moss and ivy to help the intervention, which is already concealed behind tall oak and elm trees, to further merge with its setting.Limestone boulders collected from the original excavation form a small entry courtyard, terraced planting beds and several slab steps that lead down into the cave.A wall of windows framed with steel and wood allow daylight to filter into the interior while providing a visual connection to the outdoors.

Inside, the dropped ceilings are panelled in vertical-grain Douglas fir while the walls are clad in either raw or ebonised oak.The walls of the original cave, which are lined with sprayed concrete, are strategically exposed throughout the interior and contrasted against the warmth and tactility of the timber.The same custom-insulated glazing that lines the entrance is also used to separate the lounge from the chilled cellar beyond.

Set at the very back of the plan, this opens up to reveal the tall, vaulted ceilings of the original cave and offers flexible storage for the owner's growing collection.Several of the furniture pieces throughout the interior, including the tasting bar and floating restroom vanity, are custom-made from reclaimed cedar wood sourced from a local sawmill.