Sparkling wine from the sea

The ?rnko winery near Maribor, Slovenia, has produced the European Union´s first sparkling wine to undergo maturation in the sea.

Three hundred bottles of the sparkler, called Oceanus, were released on 20 October after spending six months submerged in a quiet area of Slovenia´s Piran Bay in the Adriatic Sea.

The wine, produced extra dry in the methode traditionelle, underwent its second fermentation in the bay as well. "The conditions in the Piran Bay are ideal for this kind of undertaking," said Silvo ?rnko, who produced Oceanus with Beli Pinot (Pinot blanc) grapes harvested in 2008 from his family vineyards in northeastern Slovenia´s Podravje wine region. "The bottles were stored 18 meters deep, on the floor of the bay, where the temperatures are between 12° and 14° C. Plus, they were protected by a kind of fencing we provided so that they would be undisturbed."

During the wine´s time underwater, deposits from marine life, including oyster shells, had attached to the bottles, providing them with an exotic, age-worn effect. Most of the bottles of Oceanus will be sold to special customers or used for special occasions. The ex-cellar price per bottle is € 200.

• Sommeliers