The Cantina Santa Maria La Palma is an Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, based in Santa Maria La Palma, near the town of Alghero in Sardinia. There are more than 1,700 acres of vineyard with about 300 members, each of which has its own farm where they grow and harvest their grapes and then give it to the cellar, where they are processed.
The idea of the Underwater Cellar originates from the desire to create a special product that enhances the territory in which it was born: the Regional Natural Park of Porto Conte, a beautiful regional park surrounding the city of Alghero. The idea was to produce a wine made from the Vermentino grapes in the soils of the Regional Natural Park, facing the sea, to be left to age in a special cellar underwater, deposited on the bottom of the waters of the Park.
In order to enhance the personality of taste and smell that the Vermentino can express in these ranges, the grapes were picked in advance by careful manual selection. After a period of study and administrative process, in May, 2014 the trial started. About 700 bottles of Akènta sparkling wine (symbolically one for each hectare of members of the cooperative vineyard) were placed in the seabed of Capo Caccia Isola flat to be lulled by the sea currents.
The trial was very successful; hence it was decided to use the procedure as an effective tool, and official production and aging of wine. During 2015 about 700 bottles of Akenta have been placed on the seabed of the Regional Natural Park with a minimum of 6 months underwater aging. By partnering with Blue Diving Service and the association of diving center of Alghero, underwater wine cellar has become a site of guided tours, helping to promote the area of the Regional Natural Park and the promotion of the entire Alghero area. The wine "Akènta" is a Vermentino di Sardegna DOC sparkling wine produced from Vermentino grapes grown within the area of the Regional Natural Park of Porto Conte.
The Akènta, a sparkling wine using the Charmat method, is left to mature at about 100 feet depth for a period of 6 to 12 months within the Special Underwater Cantina. Thanks to this unique refinement, the Akènta become Akènta Sub. The uniqueness of the product is attracting international attention. On December 5th, 2016 the Akènta Sub has been the subject of careful tasting conducted by sommeliers and wine experts, in New York, in comparison with other sparkling recognized international value. Underwater winery has now completed the experimental part, becoming an effective part of the Cantina Santa Maria La Palma wine production process.
An examination of similar initiatives that are already being practiced worldwide and careful technical analysis, the main factors that favor the wine aging in underwater environment are: temperature, pressure, light and oxygen. The temperature at that depth is practically constant, at around 57°F, little affected by what happens at the surface. It is an optimum temperature, since it preserves, almost entirely, the wine aromatic profile. The pressure of four atmospheres in the depth of the sea favors the sealing of the caps, and there will be no pressure losses of the wine. The light or rather the lack of direct sunlight promotes stability of the aroma of the wine. The oxygen or the lack of oxygen will prevent the oxidation and aging.
A very important aspect is the energy savings and the absence of CO2 into the environment for temperature maintenance, electricity, etc. The conditions for rest and aging of wine are quite natural, without the use of machinery and heat exchangers. This makes the underwater wine cellar a real green cellar.
Next to the unique flavor given from refining in the sea, the Sub Akènta has another unique feature: it’s packaging. The bottle, in the period below sea level, has natural deposits and the work of marine organisms, attentive sea artisans that create the "designs", conferring a special uniqueness to each bottle, making it a unique piece for collectors.
