Austrian winery architecture

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The first words most people learn when they are introduced to Austrian wine is Gruner Veltliner, the name of the light, acidic white wine that dominates this Central European country’s wine industry. American wine lovers have embraced it in the last few years, and Gruner Veltliner’s found on wine lists across Los Angeles. But you’ll learn there is more to the Austrian wine story if you visit the MODAA Gallery in Culver City before Thursday. The gallery is part of the architecture firm of Studio Pali Fekete on Washington Boulevard in Culver City. The exhibit -- ‘The Austrian Wine Boom’ -- is courtesy of the Austrian government’s wine office.

When you walk into the gallery, you’ll think you’ve entered the land of the pod people. The 43 projects are on display in modular plexiglass containers. The 1960s prefab bubbles make the models easier to ship around the world, which is the Austrian government’s plan. When it leaves Los Angeles, the show heads to Copia in Napa, Calif.

Showing off the cutting-edge architecture of a new wave of Austrian wineries with architectural models, floor plans and photographs of the buildings and surrounding vineyards, it’s an homage to the young vintners who have emerged to lead the Austrian wine industry in the years since it was rocked with an additive scandal in the 1980s. Among the wineries included in the exhibit is Weinlaubenhof Kracher, built by Alois Kracher, the godfather of the Austrian wine renaissance.

-- Corie Brown

-- Photo courtesy of MODAA Gallery