But onto the real question: The pavilion is a definite delight to the eyes, but does it make the wine more tasty? “Absolutely!” Warner and McCabe assert. “Each pavilion is elegantly unobtrusive and offers a rustic yet refined experience evocative of picnicking with a bottle of wine under an oak tree. In this way, the pavilions serve to bring the visitor a greater depth of understanding and appreciation for the place where Quintessa is made and the process that creates its uniquely sophisticated character.”

Carefully selected materials make the building appear as if it grew from the land. Environmentally sensitive finishes echo the existing winery, which the firm designed in 2002.

The "Taste+" spoon, designed by the Keio-NUS CUTE Center at the National University of Singapore, electrically stimulates taste buds to improve eating for individuals with diminished taste sensation.

The tasting bar, part of Aidlin Darling Design's plan to experientially link the building to the land, occupies the transition between indoor and outdoor.

Here's the interior of the Hadid-designed tasting pavilion.

After the tasting, we descended the stair back to the parking lot.

Here's the Montrachet glass we used to taste the Ceja Vineyards chardonnay.

A pair of glass doors open to the tasting room, also designed by Renzo Piano.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room (Seattle, WA), designed by Starbucks Design.

Their creative confections may ruin our diets, but we’re happy to be their taste testers anytime.

Launech teaches cooking classes in the house, and the mobile countertops make it easy for her to configure the kitchen to her tastes.

The Salt Tasting Room is the perfect place for a nightcap after a long day of seeing the sights.

The bold colors and graphics of these cookies caught our eye. They tasted pretty good too.

Craig and Thomas infused the surfaces of the space with their bold taste by alternating the orientation of the wood grain in the millwork veneer panels to create a lively pattern.

The new tasting room is positioned to feel as if it is hovering above and within the vineyard. Open on all sides, it offers panoramic views of the surrounding hills.

The pivotal screens can be adjusted to adapt to the sun’s angle. As they are made from perforated sheet metal, they do not block views from the wine tasting room.

At night, folding green shutters enclose the floor-to-ceiling panels of glass that surround the tasting room.

A main tasting room occupies the center of the new building and includes a bar, outdoor terrace, seating area, and hearth. A library and kitchen flank the tasting room and offer a range of spaces for gathering and wine tasting.

Tom Givone's current weekend abode, nicknamed the Floating Farmhouse, is—so far—his capstone project, a synthesis of personal taste, material experimentation, and historically sensitive restoration: a living laboratory for how to bring the vernacular past into the present.

Douglas and Derek’s shared taste is on display in the dining area, with its mix of timber, steel, and slate. “Everything was selected to exude warmth and tactility and to offer splashes of color,” Douglas says. The solid oak table is also by Mudge, and the chairs are from South African furniture company Houtlander.

Even Bostwick and Rymill still admit to occasionally brewing a batch of not-so-tasty beer. One of the most useful sections of their book is the Tasting and Troubleshooting chapter. Does your beer taste like soy sauce? Reference the troubleshooting chart, which will tell you that the problem is sulfurs and the solution is to "rack or bottle your beer sooner, and try to minimize the amount of yeast you rack in your bottles."

An aerial view of the Ashes & Diamonds winery and tasting room.

When chilled to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, Wisner said, the taste of Newton Vineyard’s Chardonnay “explodes in your mouth.”

A wine tasting area offers temperature-controlled storage for dozens of bottles.

The staircase leads to the lower level, where there's a wine tasting room that doubles as a guest room.

"We have developed a taste for Nordic style and have tried to stay true to that aesthetic, without being precious,

Massive glass doors slide open and connect the tasting room to the Napa landscape.

The tasting room is shaded by a folded-plate canopy that recalls the modernist designs of architect Donald Wexler.

We exit the cellar the same way we came in, through the double-height green doors, and ascend to the tasting room.

The table that runs the length of the tasting room was created in one night by a master furniture maker from the area. It is illuminated from within.

The patio space helps connect the home to nature, allowing guests to enjoy a taste of Mediterranean indoor/outdoor living.

The tasting room self reflects in the winery's pond which is sourced from the region's abundant rainfall.

The tasting room celebrates rainwater as it flows off the roof, down a rain chain, and into the pond.

Set at the top of the vineyard, the tasting room opens up to the valley with a structural glazing system that provides guests with stunning panoramic views.

The mix of wood and steel references the construction of a wine barrel. A long rectangular reflecting pool runs the length of the tasting room.

The interior of the tasting room is outfitted with Eero Saarinen-designed chairs, North African rugs, Douglas fir siding, and a terrazzo floor.