A “vintage” port wine was rescued from the bottom of the sea on Thursday

On Thursday, National Sea Day, 102 bottles of the Van Zellers & Co Vintage Port 2020 Ocean Aged will be removed from the seabed, “the first ‘vintage’ port in history to age underwater,” the company revealed today in Sao. (João da Pesqueira in the Viseu region).

This initiative is linked to the environmental education work Planeta Oceano, promoted by Oceanário de Lisboa with the aim of raising awareness among young people about the importance of the oceans and their conservation.

The 102 bottles were made available to Van Zellers & Co. customers in June, and all of them have already been dispatched: about half will remain in Portugal and the rest will go to countries such as Switzerland, Finland, Austria, Canada and the United Kingdom.

According to Van Zellers & Co, “The unprecedented launch is made in partnership with Zouri Shoes, an eco-vegan shoe brand that was responsible for creating the packaging that accommodates this bottle, intentionally designed in the shape of a clamshell.”

“This brand used plastic recovered from our coast (about a ton was collected from Portuguese beaches with the contribution of 600 volunteers) and also reused factory waste, making the box 100% recycled,” he explained.

Each bottle of Van Zellers & Co Vintage Porto 2020 Ocean Aged costs approximately €1,000, with a portion of the proceeds going to support the Planeta Oceano environmental education program.

As part of this programme, between Wednesday and Friday, more than 600 children from São João da Pesqueira will have “the opportunity to learn from the country’s greatest experts about the diversity of marine life and how best to protect it”.

The Vintage Port 2020 Ocean Aged was officially launched on World Oceans Day, on June 8, after being sunk in December 2022 at the Port of Sines, in collaboration with the company Ecoalga – Adega do Mar (specializing in underwater storage).

Francesca Van Zellers, Marketing and Communications Director at Van Zellers & Co, explained that this wine aims to link tradition with innovation.

“This project is a true blend of tradition and innovation, and is a testament to our commitment to elevating Port wine to new heights. Immersing the bottles in ocean water, where nature exerts its unique influence, was an exhilarating experience,” he stressed.

Francesca van Zeller has the task of rescuing bottles from the bottom of the sea, which makes her excited.

“This wine holds the history of the past and the promise of the future, and we are very happy to share it with the world,” he stressed.

Van Zellers & Co was founded in 1780, but the family has been producing wine in the Douro region since 1620. The company currently owns 16 hectares of vineyards on the banks of the Tortue River, Vale do Pinhão and Murcia, and in 2022, it produced a total of 49,172 bottles.