Pandoras Box powers curved screen at Catalan winery

Photo credits: Agustí Torelló Mata / David Gálvez

Agustí Torelló Mata is well known for his sparkling wine in Europe. Mata’s winery, located in the heart of Penedés (Catalonia, Spain), the capital of cava, as well as his dedication to his vocation has won him a reputation as one of Spain’s best enologists. In 1978, he created what is considered his masterpiece, KRIPTA, a world-class sparkling wine. Together with his children Alex and Gemma, Mata directs the family-run winery with an annual production of 500,000 bottles of cava and 120,000 bottles of wine, which they export to over 30 countries around the world.

Located in the town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, against a bucolic backdrop of Mediterranean forests and vineyards, its underground cellars or “caves” from which cava gets its name, are among the most spectacular in the area. Visitors can take guided tours of the winery and cellars, and gain insight into the features of Penedés and the process of winemaking and aging.

In the tunnel that connects all the caves, a curved screen measuring over 30 meters (98 feet) long displays an impressive audiovisual show on the process of cava making and the local grape varieties used. The mix of music with images and sensations takes visitors on a journey through the seasonal cycle of this sparkling wine.

The AV show uses four, 6000 lumen projectors equipped with a wide-angle lens to deliver an on-screen resolution of 4096 x 768 pixels. The audiovisual installation was carried out entirely by Kodec, while the AV equipment was supplied by Charmex.

The spectacular 10-minute show has had a tremendous response from visitors, who unexpectedly experience the seamless camouflaged screen, complete with audio and lighting, on the tunnel wall when entering the space. This effect is achieved by a motion sensor that is synchronized with a Crestron CP3 control system, and integrated with a Christie Pandoras Box Manager to power the warping and blending required for projecting onto the curved surface. Pandoras Box Widget Designer, an intuitive software tool to create customized applications for show control, provided the programming for the screen.

Marc Marquès, from Kodec, explained why they chose Pandoras Box for this project: “We were looking for a very simple, yet practical and robust system. We’ve used Pandoras Box in previous projects and we were really pleased with the results. Because it is so reliable, it gives you great peace of mind. For this particular project, we needed highly robust equipment that would give no problems, so Pandoras Box was the obvious choice. As well, I have to say that when it comes to blending, nothing comes close to it.”

The system is rounded off with the Biamp Tesira audio distribution platform, Bose speakers, and ERCO lighting. The integration of Crestron CP3 with Christie Pandoras Box also means that the lighting, audio, and video can be completely automated.

David Gálvez, the expert consultant who configured Pandoras Box and adjusted the warping and blending features, underscored Widget Designer’s ability to program the automation, noting that, “because you can program whatever you like, it is totally open and allows you to receive and send orders to and from other systems, be it lighting, audio or displays.”

He went on to add that, “Pandoras Box is a really powerful solution because of its warping and blending features that allow it to fine-tune and adjust the projection. You can configure the system in so many ways that it offers you an almost infinite variety of resources to deal with complex warping.”

The award-winning Christie Pandoras Box is fully operational in the Agustí Torelló Mata wineries. “The end result is truly spectacular and provides a wow factor for visitors, and a fantastic visual experience that makes it the high point of the wine cellar tours,” said Marquès.