Environmental Impact of Human Activities in Marine-Coastal Area: Underwater Wine Cellar as Case Study (Tuscany, Cetacean Sanctuary)

A new production activity developing in coastal areas and located in the MPAs are sub-cellars for wine ageing, which combine the results of wine refinement with beautiful bottles decorated with organic concretions. Assessing the associated environmental risks is crucial as wine is a complex mixture of chemical substances that are toxic to marine species if released into the environment. We have assessed the risks associated with the granting of a license to store 2000 bottles in a sunken wine cellar in the Whale Sanctuary (Tuscany). Local risks that could influence the occurrence of offences were assessed to calculate the potential dose of wine released from the cellar. Furthermore, based on the ecotoxicological approach, the effect thresholds (ECx, NOEC, LOEC) were quantified for species from different trophic levels to define the tolerance of the marine ecosystem using the PNEC approach. The results showed that wines with different physicochemical properties developed differently during maturation (0–8 months) and exhibited different ecotoxicity. This led to different PNEC values and, consequently, to different risks of bottle breakage. The main suggestion of our results is that the release of licenses should be based on a case-by-case risk assessment that focuses on both the environmental characteristics of the ecosystem that maintains the cellar and the chemical properties of the wines stored in glass bottles.