By Stamatis Zisimou

 

Among a few countries in the world that follow the ageing of wines at the bottom of the sea, Greece will soon be included. A country, with a rich wine tradition, surrounded by the sea, is about to create for the first time the necessary institutional framework with a bill of the Ministry of Development and Investments, which sets the conditions for the ageing of wine on the seabed.

 

Underwater wine ageing has developed as a niche trend that has spread around the world. While some may view it as a marketing move, many wine tasters say they are keen to experiment with ageing in a new environment in nature and that there is evidence of underwater conditions affecting a wine’s flavour. They are highlighting the complete darkness, lack of oxygen and natural temperature regulation.

 

Some producers ageing wine underwater have been inspired by shipwreck discovered after decades nestled on the ocean floor. The energy within the sea provides an “authentic biodynamic system for wine creation”.

 

Several trials have reported differences between “underwater wine” and bottles or vats aged on land, but there are varying opinions and research is still very much an emerging area. Some tasters have talked about the complexity of the wines and also noted a saline character, for instance. Other producers have also found underwater ageing emphasises certain characteristics in the wine. Attributes of the underwater wines include “greater intensity of colour” and a slower evolution of the wine’s hue over time.

 

Ageing at a depth of 10 to 50 meters.

 

It should be noted that the ageing of wines by submerging them in the seabed is an activity that is mainly developed in the USA, France and Spain. In Greece, the ageing of wines in the sea will take place at a depth of 10 to 50 meters.

 

The object of the new bill in Greece is to create a regulatory framework for the ageing of wines through underwater ageing, which concerns the licensing process for their underwater ageing, the determination of the ageing location, as well as the control and labeling of wines, while it also provides for the creation of regional marine wine aging parks to attract diving tourism, while it can combine wine culture with maritime tradition.

 

As stipulated in this regard (the bill), for the underwater bottling of wine bottles for ageing, a license is issued by the locally competent Directorate of Agricultural Economy and Veterinary Medicine of each Region, following a relevant application from a wine production, bottling or trading company, which has been registered in the vine-wine sector.

 

It is noted that it is prohibited to pour wine in a marine area in which activities, projects or areas of public interest which are regulated by written provisions may be obstructed in any way, in particular the execution of projects that serve public purposes, such as water supply, drainage, as well as submarine pipelines of all kinds, energy production from offshore wind farms, ports, sports facilities, etc.

 

It should be noted that the wines are classified as Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication, before their immersion.The wines to be aged underwater are transported for bottling with an accompanying wine product document, a copy of which is delivered to the competent Directorate of Agricultural Economy and Veterinary Medicine (DAOK), which maintains a relevant register. Wines that have been aged for at least one (1) year may be labeled: "aged in the sea water" or "aged underwater"/"veilli dans la mer", necessarily accompanied by the total duration of aging in immersion, expressed in months or years, in the corresponding language and the certification body issues a relevant certificate.

 

The maintenance cost of the Regional Marine Wine Aging Parks is borne by the companies concerned, to whom it is divided, depending on the volume of wines to be aged.Tourist exploitation of the Regional Marine Wine Aging Parks is possible, according to the diving tourism law, which is applied accordingly.