Opinion

Surprises, Surprises

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that all ladies, whether experiencing good fortune or not, must be most welcoming of pleasant surprises. For myself, since becoming part of the family of a few notable epicurean associations in town, I have encountered one such surprise of my own. 
 
It is a great joy to be in the company of like-minded people, and the bonus is to be able to enjoy delicious food and fine wines at the same time. Having been in the clan for over two years, and meanwhile doing minimal exercise, my surprise came when one day, my doctor, with my blood test report in hand, told me that my cholesterol and blood sugar levels were “exceptional”! 
 
I was speechless; I was waiting for the “but” in the doctor’s sentence but thank god, she just shut up. As happy as I was, the first thing that came to mind was, “How has it been possible for my sisters and older brothers at the associations to have actually been feeding me healthy food and unfermented grape juices so well disguised as delicious cuisine and fine wines?”  
 
Of course, c’est pas possible. So I think maybe I did the magic myself by always leaving a slosh of wine in each glass at the end of a meal, hence earning my nick name, “The Wine Glass Collector.” 
 
These positive results intrigued me, and so I started to do a bit of research online, and ended up reading about something almost unrelated to my scenario; I came across images of wine bottles that resembled Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean — and this intrigued me even more. 
 
I am remotely on my way to becoming a wine connoisseur, and this was the first time that I’d come across Underwater Wines — wines that have been aged and fermented in the ocean. But really what is this all about? I asked my dear friend, Filipe Santos, President of the Wine Society of Macau, and according to him, it is “a niche trend from some wine producers, in particular for sparkling wines, in which the process of aging and fermenting underwater may enhance the brightness of colour, and achieve a greater intensity of aromatics with accentuated fruit and floral notes, softer tannins and lower alcohol levels. Some call this environment ‘aquaoir’ in contrast to ‘terroir.’”
 
At about 15 to 60 meters deep in the water, the consistent and moderate temperature with minimal sunlight makes for an ideal fermentation ground compared to the conventional, terrestrial cellars. Croatia, known for its beautiful blue waters that I have yet to dive in, was the first country to have an underwater cellar in 2017. The trend is now moving across Europe, namely with Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco’s new restaurant in Côte d’Azur, Ceto, serving a few labels of aquaoir wines. These wines, said to possess a higher complexity of flavours and aromas, with accented salinity and minerality, appear to pair even better with seafood.
 
As much as I would love to have a taste of these wines, we may have to wait some time. The underwater wines, as Filipe informed me, might be interesting when written about as amphoras discovered on ship wrecks with fascinating historical backgrounds, but since they are difficult to find and are expensive, they may not be of taste to the current local market here just yet. 
 
Nonetheless, I have to say that I’m very open to any person interested in enlightening me with even just a glass of an aquaoir wine. But don’t try to prank me with bottles retrieved from the bottom of Nam Van Lake!
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