Established in 1970, Cape Mentelle counts itself among the ‘founding five’ wineries of the now-renowned Margaret River region. The pioneer of many of the wine styles the southwest has become known for, Cape Mentelle has a proud and rich history.

The tasting room, with its iconic barrels, required a modern update from the bright and uniform lighting, which created an uncomfortable amount of glare during tastings and corporate events. The lighting did nothing to highlight the space or to create intimate tasting areas to enjoy the wine and experience fully.

The new lighting design by Klaasen Lighting Design was aimed at bringing back the magic and creating an “instagrammable” background when tasting at Cape Mentelle. The lighting design concept initially aimed to create a warm lighting environment, but after testing it was decided to use a more neutral light. The defined lighting optics now create a sparkle on the wine and glasses allowing visitors not only to taste but also to appreciate the clarity and colour of the wines better.

Although the general setting for the controls is neutral white, as an additional feature, the ceiling panels can be coloured when the hall is used for corporate functions. Key to achieving the various scenes and lighting effects is the use of Casambi controls.

This control system allowed the implementation of the new lighting with minimal electrical intervention, through the use of the existing power supply infrastructure. It also added a simple and easily manageable system that allows staff the flexibility to adapt to the different functions held in the tasting hall varying from walk-in tasting visitors to organized corporate tasting events.

Cape Mentelle represents a wonderful example of how a simple adaptive lighting design and an intelligent lighting system can transform a space into a totally different experience with simple controls.