Tokajicum Winery, Tarcal

The winery was created by redesigning and extending a building that had been started but left unfinished. Situated in the middle of the vineyard on sloping ground, the building faces the Great Plain with its two-storey side and the Tokaj Hill with its single-storey side. The basement and ground floor house production facilities; on the ground floor, facing the road, there are offices and a presentation room with a terrace; and the attic contains flats.
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The scale, proportions and character of this striking and prominent mass differ fundamentally from the traditions of the cellars and the landscape. It strikes a unique balance between dynamism and tranquillity: the momentum of the mass breaking free from the mountain is signalled by the fragmentation of the wall sections, their transformation into columns, and the soaring of the roof as it hovers above the glass surfaces; at the same time, the sturdy stone pillars emphasise stability, whilst the continuous roof surfaces and the consistent use of materials emphasise the unity of the complex.

It is this duality that gives rise to the ‘fragmented’ character typical of Salami’s houses; the heavy, austere side wings are almost featureless blocks, yet where they meet the central section, they come to life and break down into delicate details. These forms all seem familiar somehow, yet it is as though the architect had gathered them together like curious artefacts, like pieces that do not quite belong together; in one we recognise the flavour of the Hegyalja landscape through the use of materials, in another through the scale and internal proportions, and in a third through the method of construction. It was as though he had projected a montage of dreamlike images, radiating ideal harmony, onto that particular place and function, so that the materials and forms drawn to that spot might fall into place in precisely the dimensions and arrangement required…

The projecting roof of the central section is supported by a timber structure held together by circular-arched bracing struts, typical of the timber framing found in old porches and gables; this light, airy form is anchored by the mass of the heavy, archaic stone piers, which rise to an unusual height, thereby counterbalancing and releasing the tension. The terrace projecting from the solid wall and the roof protecting it—which emphasises the asymmetry—are each supported by an arch, but these have shifted away from the rigid geometry of the former structure. It is in this most important corner, where the sheltered entrance is also situated, that the forms become at their freest and most unrestrained, as signalled by the arched stone pillar, which stands out strikingly from everything else. The parapet walls flanking the entrance staircase best encapsulate the essence of Salami’s architectural language; these fragments of wall seem to have emerged from beneath the ground, slightly precarious yet deeply rooted in the site – as if they were the remains of ancient retaining walls or, who knows, artefacts that once served some other purpose, which just happen to be perfectly suited to framing the staircase, whilst radiating a sense of harmony with the site that permeates the entire complex.

(Written by János Gerle, excerpts, Magyar Építőművészet 2005/2)