Mira Winery to release last case of ocean-aged Cabernet Sauvignon

CHARLESTON, South Carolina, USA- Napa-based Mira Winery will make available 12 bottles of the ocean-aged, Charleston Harbor “Aquaoir” wine, the last that will be for sale to the public through its website www.miranapa.com on November 13, 2013. What’s special about this 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is that it was aged for three months 60 feet below the ocean’s surface. The release will follow the completion of the winery’s national seven-city, seven-day blind taste test tour.

“The bad news is until we can learn more about ocean aging and apply it to how we age wine on land, these are the last 12 bottles of the first experiment with ocean aging,” said Mira president, Jim “Bear” Dyke, Jr. “The good news is we started the process with the finest grapes from Napa Valley and an exceptional winemaker so we created additional gift packs that will be available while supplies last.”

In May of this year, four cases of wine were recovered after three months of ocean aging off the Charleston, S.C. coast (see video of the submersion and the recovery). This process was coined “Aquaoir” by Mira, paralleling the impacts of the land-based environment on grapes, an industry recognised term called “Terroir.”

The bottles will be sold in a two-pack set, which includes a bottle of “Aquaoir” and a bottle of the same wine aged on land. Both bottles are the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. The package will be priced at $500. On 1 July 2013, the initial allotment of 12 bottles released by Mira was sold in less than one hour.

“Aquaoir is not about making an exceptional wine - we already do that – this is about learning how different elements can impact the aging process - and the ocean is the perfect place to do it," said Gustavo Gonzalez, Mira Winemaker.

On 6 November 2013, Mira began Phase II of the “Aquaoir” experiment, with the winery aging twice as much wine for twice as long in custom-built cages - eight cases of the winery’s 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon for six months. Each cage will be submerged with gauges to measure the ocean’s effects on major elements of the wine aging process including temperature, humidity, pressure, motion, light - or lack thereof - and oxygen.