Back in 2010, a group of divers off the coast of Finland’s Äland archipelago found bottles of champagne, some 200 years old, preserved in near-perfect condition 50 metres below the Baltic’s sparkling surface.
The wrecked sailing vessel, reportedly dating back to the 1820s, was carrying goods for trade. Among the sunken treasures found was a stash of champagne from house Veuve Clicquot; bottles that have since sold for record prices at auction, bringing a new meaning to the notion of vintage champagne.
To commemorate this landmark discovery, Veuve later buried 300 bottles and 50 magnums in the Baltic sea in an ageing experiment that will see bottles retrieved and analysed periodically over a 40 year period.
And they aren’t the only ones doing it. Wineries from Spain and France to Italy, Greece and Chile are trying their hand at this new way of thinking.
The sea offers near-ideal conditions for ageing. Low light and constant cool temperatures lure those who believe wine ages differently at 50 metres compared to that of traditional cellaring methods.
Five years ago, Ben Ranken from Wilimee Wines submerged 20 dozen bottles of his pinot noir in 5000-litre tanks.
This year marks the release of Ben’s first underwater vintage, and we were fortunate enough to do a side-by-side comparative tasting with his traditionally cellared 2015 Wilimee Pinot Noir while discussing the weird and fabulous world of underwater ageing.
Tune into this week’s episode of By the Glass to get the lowdown on this emerging trend.
