DELATITE Winery proudly announced the opening of their multi-million-dollar, eco-tourism cellar door and restaurant recently.

Just a short drive off the Mt Buller Road and taking full advantage of the breathtaking views over Mt Buller and the alpine range, the new state-of-the-art building replaces their modest 1980s cellar door that they have outgrown in recent years.

Managing director David Ritchie, whose parents Robert and Vivienne planted the grapes that are now used for Delatite wines over 50 years ago, said the new building reflects their business ethos and the way people visit wineries today.

“The customer experience is at the forefront of everything we do and offer," David said.

“We aim to foster a relationship with customers so they have a sense of loyalty and connection with the brand and our overarching commitment to sustainability, and our new cellar door does just that."

The new Delatite cellar door has a large tasting area for guests to work their way through the entire Delatite collection in comfort, with a cosy wood fire for the winter months.

To the north of the tasting room is the open-plan restaurant with modern finishes, plenty of natural lighting and seating for up to 60 guests.

The outdoor deck and courtyard have further seating for guests to enjoy the country ambience and fresh air.

Fittingly, the designer was Melbourne based practice, Lucy Clemenger Architects, where the senior partner also happens to be Vivienne Ritchie’s niece.

“I contacted Lucy to ask if she had any ideas who might design it and she said, ‘would you mind if I throw my hat in the mix?'," David said.

Although Clemenger’s work of late has been predominately residential, she cut her teeth as a young graduate with the Dutch firm Mecanoo and worked as part of the design team on Federation Square and was keen to get back to commercial work.

Clemenger’s life-long knowledge of the family, their site and the business proved to be invaluable advantages to fulfilling the Ritchie family’s vision for the new space.

“Our approach was to create a new building that provided a unique wine tasting and dining experience that reflects Delatite’s values and focuses on environmentally sustainable design principles,” Clemenger said.

“Each space has been dedicated to a member of the Ritchie family and their contribution to the business over many years.

“It has been a brilliant project to be involved in and we feel that we’ve achieved what we set out to do; over and above.”

The design highlights Delatite’s commitment to sustainability, which is a key focus of the business and has been throughout the entire design and building process.

“Sustainability is and always has been important to us," David said.

"We’ve been using biodynamic practices for 15 years now, and whenever the opportunity arises we look for better and more environmentally conscious ways to do things."

The new cellar door and restaurant is located at 390 Pollards Rd, Mansfield and will be open from 11am – 5pm daily.

For more information about Delatite Winery visit www.delatitewinery.com.au.