It was Homer who coined the term “wine-dark sea”. Now, 2,700 years after the Odyssey was written, Italians are taking the description rather literally.
This month three intrepid winemakers have been making their post-harvest process a little different — by dumping their grapes at the bottom of the sea.
This is not some 21st-century fancy. Sea-ageing grapes is a process that was perfected by winemakers on the Greek island of Chios 2,500 years ago. Chian wine was lauded across the ancient Mediterranean by writers such as Horace and Pliny. Julius Caesar is said to have served it at a banquet.
Antonio Arrighi has been submerging his grapes for six years
BIODIVERS
Now a handful of Italians are recreating the ancient process. Andrea Barrani, the 29-year-old owner of BarCa winery in the Cinque Terre coastal area of