The Hidden Sea | Winery
Imagine this: it’s a beautiful summer’s night. The white sand flows underneath your toes, the warmth seeps through your skin and enraptures your body. You sit, watching the wind die down, the water turn glassy, and the shift of the Rothko-esque colours of sunset to monochrome. You crack open a delicate bottle of wine. It’s pure, unadulterated bliss.
Now imagine this: Everywhere you look, left to right, you are surrounded by a swarm of improperly disposed rubbish. Piles and piles of plastic bottles, cigarette butts, food wrappers, bottle caps, plastic grocery bags, straws and stirrers engulfs the entire vicinity.
‘The Hidden Sea’ aims to stop the above scenario after the first paragraph. Just pure, unadulterated bliss, delicious wine, and clean beaches. Their socially conscious ethos enables consumers to relax, enjoy great tasting wine, and be a part of something bigger than themselves.
Removing and recycling 10 plastic bottles for every bottle of wine they sell, the ambitious and brilliant company aim to clean up 1 billion single-use plastic bottles from the ocean and rivers by 2030, and they’re going to do it all whilst producing a full range of vegan friendly, award-winning wine.
The Hidden Sea’s contributions to the planet
• Their winery is solar powered and is on track to be carbon neutral by 2022
• They are a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia® and are HACCP accredited
• Winery waste is composted & wastewater is recycled
• Glass wine bottles are infinitely recyclable without compromise on quality
• Labels are laser-printed using organic water-based inks, and the colour is burned off in the recycling process
• Cartons are cardboard, and sourced through manufacturers that only use sustainable and recyclable materials. They also don't add any waxing or varnishing to their cartons, so they remain 100% recyclable
• Bulk shipping (for bottles to be filled at their destination) involves their wine being sent in 100% recyclable Flexi Bags—with no landfill involved at all—and the ships are made from recycled bulkheads
• Carbon is reduced as a result of their ocean cleanup efforts
The rich history behind The Hidden Sea:
26 million years ago, South Australia’s incredible Limestone Coast was submerged by a vast ocean, and home to a thriving marine ecosystem. A series of dramatic ice ages caused the ocean to recede, leaving the area rich with deep limestone deposits containing majestic marine fossils.
Ancient mineralized relics, and an extensive museum of marine life, now lay buried beneath the alluvial soils of this World Heritage site.
One of these relics is the fossilized remains of an ancient whale which contributes to the rich, fertile soil in the vineyards. It also provides a natural and unique filtration system—perfect for growing grapes that produce award-winning wine.
‘The Hidden Sea’’s ocean health partner, ReSea Project, sets the global standard for ocean waste plastic cleanup because they’re one of the only companies certified to DNV GL’s Chain of Custody standard, meaning they must:
• Provide proof of the plastic’s source and authenticity
• Differentiate their reclaimed plastic from that of less serious players
• Allow anyone to trace the plastic back to its extraction site and view its onward journey
• Create a level of transparency that enables customers to trust that their purchases really help make an ocean, river, or lake, cleaner from plastic waste
Once ReSea Project removes the plastic, they weigh it, and take it to local waste banks. These waste banks operate under the governing environmental authority in the district.
Depending on the quality of the plastic collected, recycling can vary. However, as a general guide:
45% goes to fuels
45% is recycled and returned to ReSea's parent company: OWP by Pack Tech
10% is unfortunately so bad that it needs to go into landfill. However, better than floating in our oceans and rivers.
The cost stated on the Resea Project website to remove 1 kilo of plastic from the world’s oceans and recycle it, is €8. So, every time The Hidden Sea sell one 6-bottle case of wine, 1 kilo of plastic, which is equivalent to 60 water bottles, is removed and recycled.
Check out their progress HERE!
