Jordan River Wines plans to age some of its wine in seawater. The project is a joint venture with Sea Aged Wine of Spain. Under the deal, the Jordanian winery will send bottles of its Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to Spain. There they will rest in temperature-controlled tanks filled with seawater.
Sea Aged Wine calls the method conduction ageing. Each bottle is sealed in a vacuum-packed bag. It then goes into a tank that holds up to 1,000 bottles at a time. Bottles can stay in the water from one month to a year, while the tanks hold the water at a set temperature.
Because the tanks are on land, the company says there is no pressure on corks or screw caps. That means no seepage and no contamination of the wine. By contrast, those are real risks when bottles age in the open sea.
Graham Smith, founder of Sea Aged Wine, likened the process to turning back the clock. In his view, earlier winemakers may have known more about ageing and storing wine than people do today. He said tastings run by the company show that the tanks change the taste of the wine.
A representative of Jordan River Wines said the bottles will spend between one and six months in the tanks. The winery is still testing the method. It is tracking how each variety changes depending on its time in the water. According to the winery, seawater ageing alters aromas and taste, and it can even shift the color of a wine.
Once released, the wines will sell for $26 a bottle, before duty, customs and taxes.
JR Wines is owned by Eagle Distilleries Co, which was founded in 1953. The company set up its winery and cellar in 1975. Today it produces arak, brandy, gin, vodka, whisky, liqueur and rum in addition to wine.
