The story of the Hungarian diving instructor who ages wines in the Mediterranean

What started as a trip to Thailand with a bottle of Hungarian wine in the luggage has now turned into a premium underwater winery where the best Spanish wines are matured under the sea.

Underwater wineries are not at all unknown in the Mediterranean or elsewhere in the world. According to Gusto, the major advantage of ageing wines underwater is the stable temperature, which can be difficult to maintain for wineries “on land”. The constant quiet and darkness are also beneficial for the process.

Maturing wines under the sea is a very efficient procedure as, after a few weeks, coral-like creatures begin to settle on and attach firmly to the bottles: once the water has something to “cling to”, it will keep the bottles in constant movement, triggering a maturing process that usually lasts significantly longer on land.

After six months of underwater ageing, wines will be as mature as they would be after three or four years of regular maturation.

This is also what Hungarian diving instructor Gergő Borbély and his Spanish partner, Mariona Alabau Peyra, do, combining the two things they are truly passionate about: wine and sea. It was in Penedès near Barcelona that the couple met Ágnes Németh, an author of Gusto, for some wine tasting and comparison. According to Ágnes, the couple