
Photo: Association Vins de Bandol/Facebook

Photo: Association Vins de Bandol/Facebook
To stage their experiment, the winemakers of “Les vins de Bandol” partnered with France’s National School of Divers, to ensure that their precious cargo was handled properly during the submersion process. The bottles were submerged in a honeycomb-like container and then placed in a large coffer for long-term preservation. The exact location of the wine has not been disclosed, for fear of curious “pirates” with a taste for fine wine. At the same time, 120 bottles of the exact same wines were placed in a land cellar, to act as a control sample. Last fall, samples of the submerged wines were offered to a committee of wine experts, for an initial evaluation of the underwater aging process. Master sommelier Gisèle Marguin reported that the wine she got to taste felt good in the mouth, had a good body, with notes of black fruits and even chocolate, but noted that the secondary aromas had not yet developed fully. She concluded that the wine needed more time to reach its full potential.The Bandol winemakers association is apparently not the only one experimenting with underwater wine aging. Several other wineries across France are conducting their own experiments, but so far their results remain confidential. According to Philippe Faur-Brac, many winemakers are talking about the benefits of underwater aging, and now even spirits makers want to try it with rum and cognacs. However, the chances of getting your hands on a bottle of wine aged on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean are very slim, as these products are not for sale yet. If or when these wines become commercially available, the extra costs to winemakers, due to working with professional divers, and the risks associated with underwater preservation are bound to make them both very rare and incredibly expensive. Just like asteroid-aged wine…