Local authorities in Santa Barbara have confiscated bottles of wine produced by a Californian winemaker that was unlawfully fermenting its wine underwater, as confirmed by the district attorney’s office.
The district attorney for Santa Barbara, John Savrnoch, stated that approximately 2,000 bottles of wine and other alcoholic beverages from Ocean Fathoms had been confiscated and disposed of.
Emanuele Azzaretto, a diver, and Todd Hahn, a former talent agent, who are the business partners behind Ocean Fathoms, initially agreed to a plea deal in July. This agreement entailed the destruction of the bottles, which were estimated to be worth several hundred thousand dollars. In addition to this, the duo is required to pay $50,000 to a former investor.
The concept of aging wine underwater was pioneered by Ocean Fathoms due to the advantageous temperatures off the Santa Barbara coast. The consistent pulsation from ocean currents kept the bottles in perpetual motion, reducing sedimentation. The company had planned multiple underwater aging operations per year and had garnered interest from prominent Champagne brands for potential collaborations.
Ocean Fathoms began submerging crates of wine just off the coast in 2017, as disclosed by the district attorney’s office. However, the company failed to secure the necessary permits from the California Coastal Commission or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deploy the crates onto the seafloor.
A year following the submersion, the company retrieved the bottles and sold them for as much as $500 each, after a reef ecosystem had developed around the crates and bottles, as outlined by Savrnoch.
