Rivetto recovers 1,002 bottles of Barolo aged in the Arctic Ocean

The Piedmontese winery Rivetto and the Norwegian shipping company Hurtigruten have successfully recovered 1,002 bottles of 2021 Barolo Docg from the Arctic Ocean. The bottles were submerged for 12 months at a depth of 34 meters off the coast of Kirkenes, Norway, at 70 degrees North.

As part of the ‘Arctic Barolo’ project, the wine was aged in an environment characterized by total darkness, a constant temperature of 5 to 6 degrees Celsius, and a pressure of approximately 4 bar. This underwater period followed the wine’s traditional production process, which included 24 months of aging in large oak barrels.

Henrik Dahl Jahnsen, president of the Norwegian Sommelier Association, led a comparative tasting between the Arctic-aged wine and bottles kept in traditional cellar conditions. Dahl Jahnsen noted that the differences were ‘immediately evident,’ describing the Arctic Barolo as having a brighter, younger ruby color, a fresher aromatic profile with notes of wild berries and flowers, and more crisp tannins.