Labeyrie believes the constantly cool temperatures of the sea and the absolute darkness to make the wines ripen slowly and to increase the intensity of the fruits and to deepen the taste. During the test phase of the past five years, Labeyrie has made ripen as many as 10,000 bottles of his own wine in the bay of Arcachon at a depth of 5 meters. “Essentially deeper in the sea, however, the benefit is accordingly higher”, Frank Labeyrie said.
The wine supposed to be ripened is filled into reinforced stainless steel containers which are able to bear a pressure of one ton per cube meter. The containers are anchored, where they are observed by cameras and GPS systems around the clock. Moreover, the capsules of the bottles are sealed with wax. So, the bottles can ripen calmly during 10 years maximum; the owner is given some bottles to taste the wine and to decide if the storage is continued.
Together with the Jifmar Offshore Serviced maintenance company, Frank Labeyrie has financed the project and the research. Special boats and underwater robots are used to moor the tanks. “The tests at a depth of 250 meters were successful, although we had small problems with some of the corks, but now we cope with them”, Foad Zahedi, managing director of the Jifmar company, explains.
A specialized team out of 10 persons cares about the service on a long-term basis. According to Foad Zahedi, the service will cost about 17 euro per bottle, so each container has to bear a minimum number of bottles. (red.yoopress)
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