OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IN A SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENT AND AN ASSOCIATED BASKET WITH A NET

The present invention relates to a method of production, cultivation and preparation of alcoholic beverages, preferably spirits, wine, sparkling wines and beer, in a specific environment and to an associated basket with a net, the specific environment being for instance the sea and the associated basket with a net being the related equipment for carrying out said method. More specifically, the invention relates to the exploitation of special conditions offered by seawater for altering chemical changes in alcoholic beverages, which may thus replace the cultivation, maturation and preparation of alcoholic beverages in other environments, and to the associated basket with a net for carrying out said method. The invention belongs to class C12G 1/02 of the International Patent Classification.

The problem successfully solved by the present invention relating to production, cultivation and preparation of alcoholic beverages in a specific environment is the determination of the process and implementation of a special system that allows to alter the interaction of the ingredients of alcoholic beverages to obtain changes resembling many years of natural cultivation and preparation in cellars, a more complete homogeneous solution, a specific taste and aroma, and an extended shelf life of alcoholic beverages.

The method of production, cultivation and preparation of alcoholic beverages in a specific environment, e.g. the sea, is a method in which natural changes take place in alcoholic beverages mainly due to the interaction of the ingredients with each other and the environment, especially seawater in the natural environment.

The methods of production, cultivation and preparation of alcoholic beverages, e.g. sparkling wines, are described, with the exception of longterm ageing in adequately equipped cellars, in patent documents such as e.g. US Patent No. 7,220,439, which discloses a method including application of ultrasonic radiation on contents containing wine ingredients, in which frequency causes cavitation in the contents and the optimum application of ultrasonic radiation induces a faster alteration in the interaction of the wine ingredients to obtain changes in the wine.

Before being bottled, most alcoholic beverages, especially wines, can also be treated with additives such as potassium bisulphate, sodium bisulphate and other ingredients. Such treatment may adversely affect the taste and quality of the beverage itself.

The present invention relates to a method of production, cultivation and preparation of alcoholic beverages, preferably spirits, wine, sparkling wines and beer, in a specific environment, and to an associated basket with a net for carrying out said method. A bottled alcoholic beverage is put into a basket with a net and immersed in seawater so that each bottle is placed in the upright position into the basket in a separate holder made of stainless- steel net structure at certain distances from each other, thus achieving a uniform flow of the seawater and a uniform movement of all bottles at a certain depth.

The method of the present invention creates favourable conditions that cannot be provided for by normal maturation and treatment of alcoholic beverages in cellars. The seawater is not stationary, so the bottles filled with an alcoholic beverage are constantly moving, which is very good for the alcohol content. At a certain depth, the temperature of seawater barely varies throughout the year (e.g. by 2°C). It can be said that under such conditions the wine content does not“fall asleep” but does not“get tired”, either, and glycerines are produced in it.

The method of the invention described hereinbelow allows for an accelerated production, cultivation and preparation of alcoholic beverages, which differs from those in a conventional dry cellar. In the preparation of wine, for instance, the amount of wine in a bottle is reduced in winter due to the penetration of air during conventional maturing in a wine cellar. In summer, the wine expands and the air escapes through the cork. In this way, the wine oxidizes. In the method of the invention, the air does not reach the contents of the bottles and the alcoholic beverage does not get oxidized. As a result, the wine can be stored in such conditions for a relatively longer time than in a traditional wine cellar. The alcoholic beverages suitable for being treated by the method of the invention are in particular spirits, various wines, sparkling wines such as sparkling Ribolla Gialla or sparkling rose and beer.

The invention will be explained in more detail on the basis of production, cultivation and preparation of sparkling wine with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of a cross-section of a basket with inserted bottles and a net, side view along the shorter side;

Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of a cross-section of a basket with inserted bottles and a net, side view along the longer side;

Figure 3 is a schematic drawing of a basket with inserted bottles, top view.

Figures 1 to 3 show a metallic basket with a net that allows each bottle to be placed in the upright position into the basket in a separate holder at certain distances from each other. The stainless-steel net structure, which holds individual bottles at a certain distance from each other, is made of longitudinally and transversely placed bars, which are fixed at the intersections. The placement of the net structures thus constructed, one above the other, allows for the bottles to be fixed in a particular position and a smooth flow of the seawater and the uniform movement of all the bottles at a certain depth. The first row of bottles 1a is positioned at the bottom of the basket so that the bottoms of the bottles 1a rest on the intersections of the bars of the first net 2a. At a certain distance, which depends on the dimension of the bottles 1a, a second net 2b is placed, which simultaneously supports the first row of bottles 1a and is also the base for the bottoms of the second row of bottles 1 b, so that the bottoms of the bottles 1 b support the intersection of the rods of the second net 2b.

Depending on the quantity of bottles 1 , the basket with the net structure can be extended in the direction of shorter and longer sides and also vertically.

Before the method of the invention is carried out, sparking wine is fermented and matured in oak barrels and then bottled with CO2 at 7 bar. The corks used for sealing the bottles are made from ground cork with added additives to be resistant to salt water. The corks are protected at the top by metal caps of a stainless alloy. After the bottles are corked, the corks are immersed in beeswax, which still further protects the cork against the effects of seawater.

The bottles containing the wine to be aged by the method of the invention are treated on the outside so that shells, algae, etc. better adhere to them.

The method of production, cultivation and preparation of alcoholic beverages according to the invention is based on the immersion of a certain number of bottles, prepared according to the above-described selection and bottling method, to the seabed into a basket with a stainless-steel net, where in the stainless-steel net holders are prepared for each bottle separately. The holders are spaced from 1 to 15 cm apart so as to achieve a uniform flow and pouring of seawater and a uniform movement of all bottles at a depth of 1 to 100 m, preferably at a depth of 1 to 50 m, more preferably at a depth of 3 to 25 m.

The described basket is coated with lead weights so that the seawater does not corrode the steel but the lead.

The basket is positioned above the seabed (preferably at a height of up to 1.5 m) onto a specially adapted base, because the seawater flow at this height is stronger, resulting in a more intense movement of the bottles.

Such production method takes more than 1 month, preferably more than 3 months.

Prior to being finally lifted, the basket is lifted from the sea and left ashore for more than 1 day, then re-immersed to the seabed for more than 1 day and then lifted again.

Once lifted from the water, the bottles are stored at 0°C to stabilize the contents and live bacteria. After at least 24 hours, the bottles are dried in a drying tunnel for more than 1 day, preferably longer than 30 days.

When drying is completed, the bottoms are cleaned and the bottles wrapped in cellophane bags and packaged in cardboard or wooden packaging.

The connoisseurs claim that the wine aged on the seabed according to said method seems younger and at the same time more complex in comparison to the wine aged in a wine cellar.