Magnum Wine Bar, St. Gallen

Modelled on the wine cellar

For those who appreciate a good drop, the Magnum Wine Bar in the heart of St. Gallen offers choice wines and expert advice, as well as a place to linger and talk shop. The concept was penned by COCC. and coherent AG, while Glaeser Pro-jekt AG was responsible for the lean realisation.

Building owner:

Magnum Wine Bar

Our services:

General contracting, Shopfitting, Gastro interior

Intelligent combination

The Spisermarkt shopping centre is located in the heart of St.Gallen's old town. The Magnum Wine Bar has taken up residence in the shopping arcade on a total area of around 200 square metres. Two retail spaces were merged for this purpose. On the one hand, a room was created for the wine dealer, and on the other, a bar and kitchen. Both are connected during the day and can be elegantly separated after closing time.

Ode to wine – and to St. Gallen

Rustic and modern elements combined with an earthy colour backdrop create a Mediterranean flair. The new artificial stone arches are reminiscent of a wine cellar vault and at the same time serve to zone the elongated floor plan. They also take up the history of the St.Gallen city walls. All in all, an innovative version of a wine cellar including a tavern was created.

Separation after closing time

Different floor surfaces serve to visually divide the wine shop and bar: in the wine shop, natural stone tiles from Castle Stone full of character; in the bar, the refreshed existing floor, left as raw as possible. A lock in the form of an artificial stone wall with an integrated wine rack acts as a partition after closing time. Interior designer Mauro Salerno describes in an interview what was particularly important for this special floor plan and shop concept.

Impressions

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«The project has benefited enormously from Glaeser Projekt AG.»

Mauro Salerno

Interior Architect
COCC. and coherent AG

Mr Salerno, what were the various requirements that the interior work had to meet?

Due to the given elongated and narrow floor plan, as much display space as possible was to be created in the wine shop. For this purpose, the room-dividing elements were also designed as a presentation and sales area. In the bar, again, as many seats as possible should be created without losing the cosy atmosphere. So the bar was divided into two areas. We incorporated the immovable seating elements into the architecture. Thus, the generous tavolata in the middle of the room along the main pillar marks the new centre of the wine bar. Along the shop windows we have provided flexible, high seating. In addition to wood, real and artificial stones, we deliberately used mirrors to break up the very narrow space and give it visual depth.

Were there any other sticking points?

When the project was already in full swing, the desire for a walk-in wine cellar arose. Besides the design challenges, there were also various technical hurdles to overcome. A part of the existing walls is deliberately shown. Here, too, the room has been visually enlarged through the use of mirrors.

What distinguishes Glaeser Projekt AG from your point of view?

In order to successfully manage such a complex project within a very tight timeframe, reliable partners like Glaeser Projekt AG are needed. We have been working with them for years. Shortly after the contract was awarded, we worked together to concretise all the relevant points in very productive and goal-orientated works planning meetings. The project and ultimately I personally have also benefited enormously from the experience of your project manager Beat Steffen. In the realisation of the project, this intensive cooperation between planning and implementation proved very successful and contributed decisively to the success of the project.