It's not often that art, architecture, and wine-making come together as a cultural statement. Unless, of course it occurs in France, which prides itself on its own special savoir vivre. Ironically, the person behind this sensual conjunction at Ch'teau La Coste in Provence, where a winery has been enlivened with works of architecture and sculpture, is an Irishman, Patrick (Paddy) McKillen. In 2002, McKillen, a real-estate investor and art collector, embarked on a special sort of patronage. He found the old vineyard with a country house dating to the 16th century among the verdant hills near Aix-en-Provence where he could be ensconced with his family for parts of the year. In giving new life to the viticulture of the 495-acre property, McKillen asked French architect Jean Nouvel to create a 30,000-square-foot facility for a two-part gravity-flow winery. Nouvel complied with barrel-shaped, aluminum-clad steel-frame structures, completed in 2008. But this was only the first step in a grand scheme. McKillen was soon busy turning the vineyards'where you might stumble over Roman ruins'into a contemporary art-and-architecture park open to the public all year.

According to McKillen, 'The art and architecture projects here originated in response to this landscape, the region of Provence, and the relationship with wine.' He sensed that sculpture and architecture would add a robust ambience to enrich the terroir (the particular soil and climate) that gives Ch'teau La Coste wines their distinct personality. So now oenophiles and cultural cognoscenti can see artworks by Louise Bourgeois, Richard Serra, Andy Goldsworthy, and Sean Scully, among others, interspersed with buildings designed by Tadao Ando, Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, and Jean Prouv', while savoring blends of Grenache, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.