MUTSU, Aomori -- Bottles of wine aged for about six months on the seafloor off Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, have been brought to the surface.
A variety of the Shimokita Wine brand, the wine was left to mature 1.2 kilometers from the coast at a depth of about 20 meters, where the temperature is approximately 15 C. The constant temperature and wave fluctuations are said to help the wine mature and have a mellow taste.
The dry white wine is a blend of two grapes, Reichensteiner and Chardonnay, harvested in 2021. Late last year, Sun Mamoru Winery in Mutsu submerged 525 bottles in the sea with the help of a local fishery cooperative.