BEFORE THE SEA
INTRODUCING WINE OF THE SEA - BEFORE THE SEA
Wines selected for submersion are among the world’s finest even before entering the Adriatic, but not every fine wine is made to be submerged. Each wine selected fits a specific set of characteristics that make it a qualified candidate for this aging process.
Each bottle is equipped with a special composite cork and sealed with two layers of wax ensuring that the bottles allow nothing to enter them while submerged.
UNDER THE SEA
THE STAGE THAT GIVES THE WINE ITS NAME
The bottles are placed 100-feet below the water’s surface. The conditions at these depths make nature’s greatest wine cellar.
- Temperatures are consistently cool
- Zero light from the sun is able to reach the bottles
- Aging is intensified and accelerated under tremendous pressure
- Waves keep the bottles in motion, forcing molecular breakdown for a constant smoothing of the wine
Each bottle spends a minimum of one year under water, depending on what variety of wine is submerged. Some bottles are left to age for as many as two years.
AFTER THE SEA
FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE ADRIATIC, THE WORLD'S SILKIEST WINE:
The Creator of ''Wine of the Sea''
Marko Dušević
Marko Dušević is the name that stands behind the ”Wine of the Sea” brand.
A man of great passion for wine, a diver and a visionary whose main guideline in life is joie de vivre.
The love of wines has been with him his whole life, coming from a country with a long and rich history of wine production, it was in a way inevitable for his constant questioning and thriving for better wines not to lead to a product he proudly stands behind today.
Living and working on the Adriatic cost made this all possible, when one day, not wanting to drag wine bottles from his mussel farm back home, he sunk them in the sea. After forgetting about them for several months, he found them during diving out for some mussels. He was amazed by the sight – he held in his hand a bottle that was encrusted and covered in beautiful corals. Immediately, he knew he wanted to show everyone the new design the sea had given him, though he was unaware of what he was actually holding.
Submerging wines underwater for several months gave way to experimentation that brought Marko to ”Wine of the Sea”. A form of ”ageing” wines under the sea proved to be something that changed the wines. Very soon did he and the winemakers whose wines he sunk realize that the structure of the wine had changed, bringing them a wine that differs greatly from the same one resting in the cellars on land.
Today, under his leadership, ”Coral Wine” (Wine of the Sea’ namesake overseas) has become a brand very well known on the wine scene, recognized by winemakers, sommeliers, the Croatian and European fine dining scene. His underwater wine cellar currently homes more than ten thousands wine bottles, with labels from 10 countries and more than 50 wineries.
Even with the ”Coral Wine” family’s constant growth, Marko has not lost his drive to experiment, rediscover and find new ways to further improve his offer. This becoming his job has not taken away from the love he has for wine and for the sea. It only gave an even greater purpose to something that started out as a practical way to keep a few bottles at hand, grew to become a loving hobby, and is now a brand he is proud to have started.
The sole idea, however, will never change.
To drink fine wines, eat fine food, and enjoy good company.
Tasting one wine in two stages of life
By Domagoj Skuliber
Parallel wine tastings always bring me joy – but never like this.
Imagine tasting two glasses of the exact same wine side by side.
Same vineyard, same vines, same vintage.
Only the names – and the method of ageing – have changed.
One, Grand Trianon, has aged in the cool, dark air of a traditional cellar.
The other – the exact same wine – has aged under the cold, dark pressure 100 feet below the sea.
The latter emerges as Deux Mers (meaning two seas) paying homage to both the ancient Pannonian seabed where the grapes are grown and the Adriatic Sea where the wine is aged.
Moments after opening and pouring both of the bottles, naturally, both seem a bit shy.
They both need air.
Still, both display a fruit-driven aroma profile, with the Grand Trianon showing a bit more of red fruit – red plums, raspberries and red currant, while the Deux Mers flashes a bit darker profile – black plums and black currant are the most prominent.
Minutes go by.
Grand Trianon is coming to its senses.
Aromas begin to escape from the glass – vanilla, star anise, mushrooms and wet forest floor, followed by a gamey undertone.
Deux Mers wakes a bit more slowly.
Every now and then, scents peel from the wine – cassis, smoked meat, sage, cooked plums – it keeps revealing, in a seductive way.
Moments after drinking Grand Trianon, the tart finish lingers on the palate – acidity makes the palate salivate, and reaching for the next sip is the only thing that makes sense.
Deux Mers ends with a perfumed aftertaste – sage and tobacco stay in the mouth for minutes after drinking.
The wines we are tasting – 2016 Grand Trianon – come from Erdevik winery in the Fruška Gora region of modern-day Serbia, where the 45th Parallel meets the Danube River.
Both are the same 2016 Bordeaux blend based mainly on Cabernet Sauvignon, rounded with Merlot and enhanced with Syrah.
Drinking Grand Trianon is much like going to a nice restaurant – you know what you are going to get – it tastes and feels like a Bordeaux blend from a continental climate and works in harmony with how it smells.
Ripe and generous, warm yet refined.
The warm environment that enabled it to successfully ripen did not dull the acidity a bit.
The cold nights in Fruška Gora give the vines time to relax, and preserve the much-needed acidity to balance out the alcohol and tannins.
The flavors are nicely integrated, and everything is going in the same direction.
This wine was made with a clear goal – producing a food-friendly wine that can also be used as something to meditate on.
On the other hand, Deux Mers feels more like stepping into an antique store on a lesser-known street.
It smells and tastes different.
It has changed it into something new.
The acidity is still very much there, but softened.
The tannins are mellowed down – present, but polished and velvety, leaving you aching for more.
The Cabernet dominance settles in, while the Syrah flourishes.
It is spicy and has a smokey undertone.
The wood has integrated even more into the flavor; the vanilla aromas have turned into a whiff of paper, as if browsing through an old book.
Deux Mers seems at least three or four years older, but it still tastes like Grand Trianon.
Same, yet different – one wine in two different stages of life.
Grand Trianon seems a bit more youthful and fruit-driven, while Deux Mers tends to be a bit more grounded – less fruit and more perfume and spices.
My advice: Decant and drink these two wines side by side since both wines have their charms.
