Brad Adams

Co-founder and Managing Director

Emmanuel Poirmeur

Co-founder & Chief Winemaker

Jodee Adams

Co-founder & Cellar Door Manager

From diving for abalone to pioneering ocean-crafted wines, Brad Adams’ connection to the Southern Ocean runs generations deep.

As Managing Director of Subsea Estate, his journey from third-generation fisherman to wine innovator demonstrates how the best adventures often begin with a simple “what if?” and the courage to dive headfirst into the unknown.

Having spent twelve years as a commercial abalone diver along the southern coastline of Western Australia, Brad combined his degree in Aquaculture with his innate understanding of the ocean’s power to develop the world’s first commercial abalone ranch in Flinders Bay.

This achievement led to a new chapter…

A chance connection with renowned French winemaker Emmanuel Poirmeur sparked a vision: what if… Margaret River’s exceptional wines could be transformed by the very waters that make this region unique? 

This meeting of minds—both innovators and men of the sea—set in motion something extraordinary.

In 2024, twenty-one specially designed Winereef vats were lowered into the pristine waters of Flinders Bay, establishing the Southern Hemisphere’s first open-ocean winery. At a depth of 20 meters, the Southern Ocean’s constant motion and pressure worked their maritime magic, creating wines with a character impossible to replicate on land.

Today, Brad’s pioneering spirit guides Subsea Estate’s exploration of new possibilities and frontiers in winemaking, inspired by nature’s raw power. You’re invited along for the ride, as Subsea Estate is wine for the people—a wine that belongs to everyone, for pure enjoyment of life.

“We’re all part of this journey together,” Brad says. “Wine is all about good stories; this is just the beginning.”

Meet Emmanuel Poirmeur, Subsea Estate’s visionary co-founder and chief winemaker, who is changing how we think about wine by taking it beneath the waves.

Wine has been his passion since childhood, simmering in his DNA.

At 19, his desire to learn led him to France’s elite wine institutions—AgroParisTech and Montpellier SupAgro. Emmanuel’s curiosity took him through the world’s finest wine regions, from the prestigious Château Margaux to vineyards across Spain, Italy, and Denmark.

It was in Argentina, working with Chandon, where everything changed. Emmanuel discovered that the ocean offered perfect conditions for wine’s second fermentation—constant motion, precise pressure, and steady temperature.

This revelation gave rise to Winereef in 2008. More than a technology, Winereef unites innovative wineries worldwide in their quest to explore ocean and wine possibilities. Emmanuel’s specialised vats harness the ocean’s natural forces, creating distinctive characteristics that are impossible to achieve on land.

When Emmanuel met Brad Adams in 2022, their shared passion for ocean innovation and commitment to pushing boundaries led to something unique—Subsea Estate. Together, they are writing a bold new chapter in Australian winemaking.

For Emmanuel, winemaking is a long creative process—each step requiring full appreciation “…as the wine you taste is the only tangible aspect.”  He believes in being malleable and having an adventurous spirit.

“Today, the ocean is my winery, offering me enriching encounters and a completely different daily life. We manage to make fermentations that are unattainable on earth,” says Emmanuel. “My passion is not just to push the limits of innovation…but to surprise!”

Visit Subsea Estate HQ at Augusta Marina, and you’ll discover more than ocean-crafted wines. You’ll meet Jodee Adams, who brings her ocean-sized smile and infectious enthusiasm to every wine tasting.

Born near the rabbit-proof fence, far from any coastline, Jodee remembers her first glimpse of the ocean—it changed everything.

As a youngster, fresh out of school, she set off for Shark Bay in Western Australia, eager to dive into life working on the fishing boats, knowing the sea would always be her home from that point on. For 25 years, she has followed her co-founder (and husband) Brad’s nitrogen bubbles on countless ocean adventures. The sea became more than just a workplace; it became a passion and perhaps even an obsession.

When she discovered an ancient wine bottle from the era of tall ships in Flinders Bay, it opened a world of possibilities. What else could the ocean preserve? What else could it create?

The answer? Subsea Estate, where Jodee now shares our ocean-crafted innovation with visitors from across the globe.

“Working in the cellar door, sharing our story, vision and love of the ocean—it’s a special privilege.”