Many people ask us when they visit the winery whether the wine tastes of salt. It’s the most logical question in the world, isn’t it? If you place a bottle 20 metres underwater for a year, it’s natural to think that the sea will somehow get inside. But the reality is far more remarkable and, frankly, more scientific.
What happens down there, at our Plentzia reef, is not water seeping in (our corking and sealing system is watertight—of course it is!), but a dance of pressures. Cantábrico is a sea with character, full of force, and that energy is transmitted to the wine through isometric pressure.
What does this mean for someone drinking a glass of our wine?
It means that the wine does not “age” as it would on a shelf in a land-based winery. It becomes rounder, silkier. We have noticed that the colours remain vibrant, as if time had stood still, while the tannins—the sensation that can scrape your tongue in some reds—become gentle, almost velvety.
I’ll let you in on something: the first times we lowered the cages, we were afraid the sea might be too harsh. But the artificial reef we created is not only a place for the wine to rest; it has filled with life. Watching octopuses and fish make our winery their home is something no marketing brochure could explain.
It is not just wine; it is an ecosystem
Sometimes, when we bring up a bottle and see traces of seaweed or small encrustations, some people think it is “dirty”. To us, it is proof that the sea has accepted the gift. It is a unique design created by nature; no two bottles are alike because no two tides are alike.
If you are in the area or want to try something that truly challenges convention, remember that the underwater wine of Crusoe Treasure is not a trend. It is science applied to the patience of the sea.