Bordeaux's chateau La Dominique has enlisted the services of a leading architect to redesign its wine cellar.

Like most modern wine cellars, gravity-flow installations include vats of varying sizes, which are usually matched to the size of the vineyard's plots.

This can be key to producing a fantastic wine, according to AFP, with grapes capable of being precisely fermented for the final blend.

La Dominique is owned by Clement Fayat, who admits that a revamp of his wine cellar is long overdue, which is undoubtedly why he has enlisted the help of pre-eminent architect Jean Nouvel.

Mr Fayat's vice-president Yannick Evenou told the news agency: "The vat room will have outer walls of glass with wood slats to diffuse the sunlight.

"This is the signature of Jean Nouvel."

The importance of such subtle elements to the winemaking process often escapes the attention of even the most committed aficionado, which is why two American journalists recently recommended taking a tour of France's famed wine regions to better understand how their favoured tipple is produced.

In an article for the Fort Worth Business Press, Renie and Sterling Steves charted their journey through the Burgundy region, where the likes of Corton-Charlemagne and Chambolle Musigny are produced.

Among the more interesting revelations, the pair noted, was the fact that these wines owe their distinctive minerality to the deep root systems across the Pinot Noir vineyards.