by Serenata Wines

A trio of French wine connoisseurs have discovered that the sea might be the secret element required for a truly wonderful vintage, according to an article published by the Daily Mail.

Oyster farmer Joel Dupuch, wine maker Bruno Lemoine and barrel maker Pierre-Guillaume Chiberry carried out a test to determine whether wine stored below water tasted better than that stored in a château.

To do this they took barrels - designed by Chiberry - of a 2009 Bordeaux and stored them in two locations - one in the cellar of château and other under water on the oyster beds of the Bay of Archachon.

After six months, the three then tasted the wines determining that the Bordeaux stored in the sea was the best tasting. The wines also underwent lab analysis which displayed that the wine submerged in the sea had been changed by the process of osmosis.

Commenting on the experiment, Lemoine, stated: "I had heard a bunch of stories about wines ageing at sea.

"I found the whole idea amusing and intriguing. So when in 2009 we found ourselves with an exceptional vintage, full of rich tannins, I decided to put it to good use.

"It started out as a lark among friends. One of use came up with the idea and the others ran with," he said.

Chiberry added: "It was much better than it should have been."

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