For thousands of years, wine has largely been aged in the conventional way—in barrels, bottles and other vessels tucked away in subterranean lairs often referred to as caves. These places are prized for conditions that are beneficial to the aging of wine, including consistent temperatures and humidity levels. But there are many other factors to consider when aging wine, including pressure, light, oxygen levels and, for sparkling wines, movement.
But what if the ideal environment for aging wine isn’t a cave at all? What if it’s underwater?
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From Shipwreck to Glass
The notion of aging wine under the waves has been floating around for some time. In 1998, divers found thousands of bottles of 1907 Heidsieck Champagne in a Swedish schooner sunk by a German U-boat in 1916. The wine was still drinkable, and if you believe the reports, delicious.
The discovery inspired other intentional underwater aging endeavors: In 2003, Spanish winemaker Raúl Pérez made a splash aging his Albariño off the coast of Rias Baixas. In 2008, Napa’s Mira Winery started aging its Cabernet Sauvignon in Charleston Harbor. Spain’s Crusoe Treasure launched in 2010; it calls itself the “first underwater winery and artificial reef.” Today, there are even more operations dedicated to underwater-aged wine, including ElixSea in Spain, Edivo in Croatia, Wapisa in Argentina and others.
The Champagne house Veuve Clicquot had its own introduction to underwater aging, albeit by accident, in
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
