The Japanese combine sushi with wine aged at the bottom of Halkidiki

With wine aged in bottom of Halkidiki have been combining sushi for a while now quite a few Japanesesince the bottles of the underwater wine cellar from Ierissos, which were submerged a year ago at twenty meters under the sea, were “caught” and were already seized, with Japan having – after the first test – even made reservations for the next bottles.

The different one underwater aging that won the Japanese, it was made from the most sensitive part of a bottle, which is the cork, and indeed, when the people in charge submerged the bottles, they chose two types: one that has great permeability and one that is smaller.

Speaking to the APE-MPE radio station “Agency 104.9 FM”, the director of the winery “Domaine Agrovision” Angelos Zamanis he explained how the process was technically done and how the sea eventually “got” into the wines.

“From the large porous cork, sodium chloride, salt, i.e. sea, passed into the bottles, and the wine bubbled up. The acidity and saltiness matched the white very well and produced a very interesting taste. The red, on the other hand, kept its freshness and aroma from its fruit and was what stuck in the Japanese palate. It makes sense, because they have a lot of tuna and protein in their meals and eating habits, so they’re excited and looking forward to their next pickup, they told us.“, explains Mr. Zamanis.

The bottles that patiently waited in the underwater cellar among the marine population not only changed in taste, but also in appearance. Shells, oysters and touches of the sea were added on top of them to beautify their exterior as well, something that is highly appreciated by famous sommeliers in France and Paris restaurants already have it in first place.

150 – 200 bottles were initially placed in the underwater cellar. The 100 were already pre-sold before they were released on land, so they added more, with demand being huge from individuals and businesses, according to the winemaker. The placement is done by a group of divers, who, having knowledge of the seabed and its peculiarities, placed the bottles in special display cases and have, in fact, created a special experiential experience. “The interested explorer can train and explore the seabed with us. In the places where the wines mature and to choose the bottle of his liking and take it with him. We have aging spots accessible, from all experience levels and our divers from the “Ouranoupolis Scuba” team accompany the underwater customers who have the ability to dive and if not simpler to order it and bring it to him“, explains Thomas Aslanidishead of the group of divers and owner of the hotel that the underwater winery cooperates with.

Thieves … and in the bottom!

The underwater wines “steal” not only the interest of white or red wine lovers, but also of would-be thieves, as the unheard-of thing happened to …sweep them at twenty meters. “It is not easy to get to them, especially if there is no equipment, i.e. freediving and being in the cellar, however there was a theft, not long ago, of four bottles, possibly by someone who was snorkelling, so we had to move our stock and install an underwater recorder camera, which will alert us if we have any marine intruders“, notes Mr. Zamanis.

Since last year, the underwater cellar had also impressed the tourists who are in the area of ​​Ierissos. There were not a few who wanted to dive in to choose their own bottle and taste the wines that “carry” the magic of the crystal clear sea of ​​Mount Athos, the history and legends of the ancient waters and settlements of its area and its canal Xerxes, as the winemakers of the region typically say.

This year, after twelve months of staying at the bottom, those who taste the submerged wine and wish, will also participate in a survey of the winery. “To consumers who wish, we will give a small questionnaire, but also put electrodes on their heads to record the reactions in their eyes and heartbeats when they try the bottle, with what will come to the surface“, notes Mr. Zamanis.

The winery officials came to an agreement with the University of Lemnos and the International University of Thessalonikito perform laboratory analyzes on the body of the wine, to see how its chemical composition has changed.

RES-EMP

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