PROCESS & CONTROLS
Undersea Wine Aging & Controls
Wine that has aged at depth takes on unique characteristics. Thanks to Fathom Cellar’s patented hyperbaric process, Chronovin®, you get all of the benefits of advanced aging, without risk of contamination. Wine collectors, wineries, and distributors can benefit from this “Wine Time Machine” as it allows them to sample how their vintages will change over 2+ years, in only 3 months at pressure.
Fathom Cellars also provides engineering consultation for many companies regarding industrial automation and controls. We specialize in the food & beverage industry.
History
A Shipwreck’s Silver Lining
Inspiration for Fathom Cellars came from tales of shipwrecks bearing viable bottles of wine and spirits, after spending many decades undersea. In 1998, a merchant vessel called Jonkoping was salvaged off the coast of Finland with a surprising bounty: 2000 bottles of bottles of 1907 Heidesieck Champagne "Goût Americain" some of which were auctioned for £2400 each.
In 2014, a large Napa winery began experimenting with undersea aging for 3-4 month periods. They marketed their cabernet as a paired set: one aged traditionally on land, and one aged undersea. The experiment was successful, with most tasters noting an improvement in the undersea wine equivalent to 2-3 years of cellar aging. It also increased the value of the wine 10 fold. But, soon after the wine was made available for sale, US Government regulators (TTB) took notice. They claimed that any bottle aged undersea risked being contaminated by seawater, microbes, or chemicals. They banned underwater wine for US sale in 2015.
We’ve developed a process to duplicate the effects of undersea aging in a dry and stable environment. This unique process replicates undersea conditions without allowing water to contact the bottle closure, and thus does not fall under the TTB ban.