On Thursday, National Maritime Day, 102 bottles of Van Zellers & Co Vintage Port 2020 Ocean Aged will be removed from the bottom of the sea, “the first 'vintage' Port in history to age underwater”, the company based today revealed in São João da Pesqueira, in the district of Viseu.

This initiative is associated with the Planeta Oceano environmental education action, which is promoted by Oceanário de Lisboa with the aim of raising awareness among young people about the importance of the oceans and their conservation.

The 102 bottles were made available to Van Zellers & Co customers in June and have all already a destination: around half will remain in Portugal and the rest will go to countries such as Switzerland, Finland, Austria, Canada and the United Kingdom.

According to Van Zellers & Co, “the unprecedented launch takes place in partnership with Zouri Shoes, an eco-vegan footwear brand that was responsible for creating the packaging that accommodates this bottle, purposely designed in the shape of a shell”.

“This brand used plastic recovered from our coast (around a ton was collected on Portuguese beaches with the contribution of 600 volunteers) and also reused factory waste, making the box 100% recycled”, he explained.

Each bottle of Van Zellers & Co Vintage Porto 2020 Ocean Aged costs around a €1,000, with part of the proceeds going to support the Planeta Oceano environmental education program.