Wine Raised from Seafloor Off Japan’s Aomori Prefecture

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:22 JST, July 4, 2023

MUTSU, Aomori — Bottles of wine aged for about six months on the seafloor off Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, have been brought to the surface.

A variety of the Shimokita Wine brand, the wine was left to mature 1.2 kilometers from the coast at a depth of about 20 meters, where the temperature is approximately 15 C. The constant temperature and wave fluctuations are said to help the wine mature and have a mellow taste.

The dry white wine is a blend of two grapes, Reichensteiner and Chardonnay, harvested in 2021. Late last year, Sun Mamoru Winery in Mutsu submerged 525 bottles in the sea with the help of a local fishery cooperative.

It was the first attempt by the winery to let wine mature on the seafloor.

On Monday, workers from the fishery cooperative retrieved the wine cases and brought the barnacled bottles to the cooperative office.

The wine will be sent to the capital investors in the winery’s “Shimokita Wine owner system.” The winery is also considering selling some of the bottles to the general public.