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On a frigid January morning, grim winter clouds threaten to burst over Larry Hyde's Carneros property. But he hardly notices before climbing into the worn leather seat of his rusted green tractor, and setting off to examine his 178-acre vineyard.

Nobody would ever accuse this man of neglecting his grapes.

Hyde's voice is barely audible over the rumbling engine, so he slows periodically to narrate the history of each vineyard plot, detailing, in equal measure, his successes and his failures.

"In 1979, I planted everything on an east-west orientation," he says of his first grapevines. "That's what the neighbors were doing, so I copied them. What did I know?"

The grapes didn't get the most ideal sun exposure, and after a bout of phylloxera - a vine disease caused by an aphid attacking the roots - he replanted everything north-south. read more

Does commissioning a famous architect to design a winery raise that cellar's public profile? Not literally, since much of a modern cellar is underground. Yet the introduction of tasting rooms and a sales counter for visitors is an attraction that certainly contributes to overall image. Especially if these facilities embody particular architectural aplomb.

Over on the Tuscan coast, in the area known as the Maremma, quality winemaking is a relatively new and highly promising endeavor that has given rise to the construction of some surprising new cellars.

Outstanding among these is the Petra winery near Suvereto, designed by the Swiss architect Mario Botta. It was built at the behest of the Moretti family, producers of the delectable Bellavista sparkling wine in the northern Franciacorta growing area, but first and foremost major players in the construction industry. read more