Underwater wines: Jamin UWW in Portofino leads the National network

Wines aged in the sea, the so-called UnderWaterWines, are experiencing their golden hour. On the marketing point of view, the phenomenon has a strong appeal, especially in the luxury sector. The project also has solid scientific foundations (the bottom of the sea seems to be an ideal environment for aging, due to constant temperatures and absence of light), and the effects have been widely proven, through experiments, publications and tastings. JAMIN Under Water Wines, in Portofino, the first Italian company to have invested in underwater wines (and to have obtained the first patent in the world), believes wholeheartedly in the project, which is now moving on to phase 2.0. Not only have some major lenders joined, Antonello Maietta ( president of AIS - Italian Sommelier Association for 12 years) has been appointed the new president of the Board, but, above all, they have attained the status of Underwater Engineering Benefit Company to age wines on behalf of third parties. Therefore, JAMIN has shaken off its exclusive image of a Champagne refiner in the sea of Portofino, and has become the leader of a network that other similar wine companies in Italy have joined. It is now launching the first worldwide conference dedicated to UnderWaterWines, scheduled for November. Antonello Maietta, president of AIS Italia for three consecutive terms, explained, “I had collaborated in the past with JAMIN, conducting comparative tests of wines aged under water, which abundantly demonstrated the characteristics of this innovative method - certified by the University of Florence - that produces specific physical and chemical changes compared to traditional aging. The founder of JAMIN, Emanuele Kottakhs, then decided to create a system by setting up a National network that involves all the other players. The goal is to move from the pioneering phase, in which everyone moves on their own, to one where, instead, we create a network, not only to share experiences and methodologies, but also to optimize logistics at the National level”.
There are four concessions for underwater cellars currently operating in Italy (in Portofino, Ravenna, Termoli and Cetraro, in Calabria), and another will soon be opened in Tuscany, between Follonica and Scarlino, to reach 6 or 7 by the end of 2023. JAMIN could then expand abroad, “it will therefore be much easier”, Maietta continued, “for a company that decides to experiment with aging its wines underwater to contact the nearest location, optimizing transportation and logistics. These are complex operations, involving cranes, divers and various kinds of technicians. However, from an environment sustainability point of view, there are many advantages; i.e., the expenditure of energy of those companies, especially in the South that have to cool their cellars throughout the summer. This problem can be solved by storing the wines under water”. And, to make the experiences of underwater wine aging available, and at the same time deal with similar projects at the European level, the first world conference on UnderWaterWines will take place in November - most probably in Milan. “We will invite representatives of the companies that are currently active in Spain, Greece and Croatia, so we can all share mutual discoveries”, Antonello Maietta concluded.
The UnderWaterWines project started as a purely niche phenomenon, and it is now going full steam ahead. As a mater of fact, with JAMIN’S technical support, they are aging underwater, in Portofino, 50 meters below sea level, more than 40 types of wines from wineries throughout Italy. Its founder, Emanuele Kottakhs, remains one of the majority shareholders of the new project, as well as Gianluca Grilli of the Tenuta del Paguro (Ravenna), who has been experimenting with Sangiovese and Albana for more than 12 years. Plus, they are both also members of the Board. Some of the partners in the company include, Antonio Arrighi, who produces Nesos, the “marine” wine, on the Island of Elba, and Cobalto di Termoli, an all-female startup. The University of Florence (Department of Agriculture) and the University of Genoa (Faculty of Marine Biology), have provided their scientific contribution to the project, and, thanks to them, the first scientific report in the world on what takes place in underwater aging, has been recently published in the Assoenologi journal.