Off the Dalmatian coast, near the Croatian town of Zadar, thousands of bottles are submerged 100 feet deep in cellar-like cages under the Adriatic Sea. They’re aging in total darkness, free from light, oxygen and temperature fluctuations. Ocean currents act as natural riddlers, gently rotating the bottles in a process similar to Champagne production, where sediment is slowly shifted so the wine emerges clear. This subtle motion is believed to produce smoother, more refined wines, while higher underwater pressure may speed up aging. Some experts believe one year in the ocean can equal three to four in a traditional wine cellar.
“The process and what the ocean does to the wine is absolutely spectacular,” says Naples-based Žarko Bogojević, who, along with his wife Biljana Klatt, is the owner and founder of BZ Consortium LLC, a fine wine and spirits importer that is the sole United States distributor of Wine of the Sea. “No other [aspect of] Mother Nature could do that.”
Twentieth-century shipwrecks are responsible for some of the first sea-aged wines. One of the most famous examples is the Titanic, where nine bottles of 1907 Heidsieck & Co. Monopole “Gout Americain” were salvaged from the wreck—eight still filled with drinkable Champagne. Over the past two decades, vintners and wineries have experimented with the concept, with everyone from Santorini’s iconic Gaia Wines submerging Assyrtiko in the Mediterranean to Veuve Clicquot plunging 350 bottles of Champagne in the Baltic, where they’ll age in a “Cellar of the Sea” for 40 years.
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Courtesy Wine of the Sea
wine of the sea aged naples boat harvest
Run by a Naples couple, BZ Consortium is the sole importer of Marko Dušević’s Wine of the Sea, which ages small-batch productions 100 feet under the Adriatic Sea.
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Courtesy Wine of the Sea
wine of the sea aged naples owner drinking from a glass
Žarko and Biljana first discovered a bottle of coral-and shell-encrusted sea-aged wine from Erdevik, one of Serbia’s oldest wineries, while presenting wines at an expo in New York in 2019. “I saw the beautiful bottle and asked if we can taste the wine, and my reaction was ‘Wow,’” recalls Žarko, who felt a deep connection with the winery since he’s originally from Serbia. When he found out that no other importer had found a way to bypass the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s strict regulations regarding products aged underwater, Žarko started the long process to get the wines approved.
About a year ago, Žarko and Biljana brought Marko Dušević’s Wine of the Sea—which features labels from 10 countries and more than 50 wineries—to Naples, where a selection of bottles is available at Three60 Wine at Rebecca’s and Rebecca’s Wine Bar & Restaurant in the Bayshore Arts District. Nearly 80% of the collection (11,000 bottles are currently in the U.S.) is Italian, with the rest from France, Croatia, Serbia and Germany. They have plans to expand to include wines from Spain and, one day, California. “That will be a great challenge—Californian wine submerged in the ocean [near Croatia],” muses Žarko, explaining that they select high-end, boutique wineries whose bottles have the potential for sea-aging.
Courtesy Wine of the Sea
wine of the sea aged naples owner diver underwater
Underwater aging benefits from the gentle rocking of the tides, which mimics the rotation process of Champagne-making, producing a smoother wine. The ocean’s pressure may also speed up aging.
Wine of the Sea’s portfolio currently includes a low-intervention, single- vineyard barbera from the Montaribaldi winery in Alba, brimming with notes of black cherries, star anise and pepper. It can be enjoyed now or cellared for years. Another Italian pour, Barolo Meriame, submerged just 100 of its limited-run, certified organic bottles. Only 60 will be sold, adding to the exclusivity factor of this nebbiolo, which pairs beautifully with rich, truffle-infused pastas, charcuterie and aged cheeses.
Thanks to the two layers of beeswax protecting the cork, seawater can’t seep inside the bottles—which are inspected individually by hand. Depending on the style of wine, bottles spend one to two years underwater before they’re retrieved by scuba divers. Then, they undergo a 20- to 30-day drying process before they’re ready to be sipped. Nature leaves its unique design on each bottle, patterns of salt and sand, ensuring no two are alike. The waves and marine life age and sculpt each one.
Compared to traditional, land-aged wines, those ‘cellared’ under the sea are said to exude more fruit-forward notes and are lower in acidity, while the water’s pressure is believed to enhance tannins. They also have a deeper story, one that starts with terroir and ends with the tides. Žarko is betting people will travel for this tale. “We want to attract people to our community, that’s our goal,” he says. “Here, they can be on the coast and enjoy an evening tasting unique wine that doesn’t exist nearly anywhere else [in the country]—just Naples.”
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
wine of the sea aged naples owner
Thanks to Žarko Bogojević, who won the regulatory battle to bring underwater-aged bottles into the U.S., Wine of the Sea is available at Three60 Wine at Rebecca’s and Rebecca’s Wine Bar & Restaurant in Naples.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
wine of the sea aged naples wine display
Wines of the Sea’s portfolio includes labels from 10 countries and more than 50 wineries. Two layers of beeswax protect the cork, and each bottle undergoes a 20- to 30-day drying process to accelerate aging.