More than a trend, an enological practice: even Terre di Talamo “sinks” its wines

The sea in front of Talamone will become for one year the cellar for the aging of Talamo, the top red wine of Terre di Talamo, a Maremma winery of Bacci Wines group: 9,000 bottles will be laid on the seabed, at a depth of 35 meters (39 feet), where at a constant temperature of 16 degrees (61 degrees Fahrenheit) they will complete their aging process. More than a fashion, by now, the aging of bottles, of sparkling wines in particular, but not only, in the depths of the sea, has become a trendy enological practice, but also capable of guaranteeing interesting results, as told by the many examples around Italy and Europe. The reasons, technically speaking, are pretty simple: constant temperatures, darkness and the motion of waves provide the perfect conditions for the aging in bottle.
Terre di Talamo, so, joins a niche that goes from Abissi sparkling wine of Ligurian winery Bisson, to Cantina Santa Maria La Palma in Alghero, which refines Vermentino under the sea, from Tenuta del Paguro (Ravenna), which experiments with Sangiovese and Albana, to Emanuele Kottakis, who, with Jamin, refines Champagne in the waters of Portofino, to the project of Azienda Agricola Arrighi on Elba Island about “Nesos, the marine wine”, a scientific experiment which brings back in time the enological enterprises of Greeks on Chios island. In Greece, for example, the famous Gaia Wines winery refines part of its wines, or again in Spain, along the Basque coast, there is the experience of Crusoe Treasure, or again, in Croatia, the one of Edivo Vino, which refines wine in amphorae immersed in the waters of the sea. A practice that, between history, experimentation and “storytelling”, is increasingly conquering even Champagne producers, from brands such as Veuve Cliquot, with the “Cellar in the Sea” program, to the Drappier maison, from Leclerc Briant to Frèrejean Frères, who have joined the Amphoris project in Brest, conceived by Denis Drouin, an engineer specialized in offshore and underwater work, off the Breton island of Ouessant.
Returning to Talamone, June 9, 2021 is the date chosen for the operation that will see the cages lowered from a 40-meter platform in collaboration with Cressi Sub. The spot chosen is not accidental: at that point the seabed is devoid of natural elements to minimize environmental impact. Moreover, it is possible to talk about zero kilometer refinement, given the proximity of vineyards and winery to the chosen point of sinking. “Not only the constant temperature allows us optimal conditions for aging - explains Marco Bacci, owner of Terre di Talamo - but also the rolling of currents we are sure will benefit our wine. This is what I noticed after some years of storing bottles of red wine in the bilge of my sailboat, where at the tasting we noticed sensorial characteristics in the wines clearly improved”.