A malfunction causes red wine to flow from faucets in an Italian town

In a time when there’s little to be happy about in the beautiful country of Italy, the citizens of Castelvetro, a town in Northern Italy, were blessed to have showers of red wine flowing from their kitchen and bathroom faucets [1]. Seriously, it may sound like a joke, but some lucky souls really had red wine flowing from their faucets. 

If there was ever a plumbing malfunction people wanted to see, this was it. Dripping faucets and rusty water are common nuisances, but pure, ready-to-be-bottled sparkling red wine flowing from the faucets – there are no words.

According to Giorgia Mezzacqui, the deputy Mayor of Castelvetro, the glitch occurred at Cantina Settecani, a local winery where 1,000 liters of wine to be bottled accidentally flowed into the town’s water pipes. For three hours, about 20 homes had red wine flowing from their taps. The town’s authority confirmed that the wine hadn’t been tainted by germs and posed no health risks. As expected, the people drank and bottled to their hearts’ content.

One faulty valve, three hours of free wine

In a statement obtained by CNN, a faulty valve had been the cause of the glitch. The wine to be bottled was Lambrusco Grasparossa, a local specialty widely produced in Castelvetro. The washing circuit was blocked by the valve and the high pressure forced the wine to flow into the town’s water supply lines. Before they could fix the issue, three hours had passed an over 1,000 liters of wine had been distributed to the people for free. 

 Commercial manager at the Cantina Settecani, Fabrizio Amorotti, said the malfunction “was appreciated by many. Some clients in the areas called us to warn us about it, and to share they were bottling the wine!” 

The winery wasn’t devastated by the loss of so much wine. They were rather happy to have given the people a few hours of respite from the perpetual fear they are currently living in.

 On Monday, 9 March 2020, Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte announced that the entire country of Italy, with a population of 60 million people has been locked down to contain the coronavirus outbreak [2]. Italy is COVID-19’s most affected country in Europe and outside of Asia. The country has placed a ban on public gatherings and sporting events, stating that travel would only be permitted for work or family emergencies.

Castelvetro is a town in the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy, the worst hit since the virus broke out in the country.

“At a time where we have very little to smile about, I’m glad we brought some levity to others,” Mezzacqui told CNN. “Hopefully someday they’ll remember us and will want to come visit us.”

Dark times in Italy

Castelvetro di Modena, a small town with a population of about 10,500, is one of the major driving forces of Italian culture and tourism [3]. The town is a treasure chest of rich cultural heritage, tucked away between vineyard-covered hills in Emilia-Romagna. Known for its intense culinary delights of food and classic Italian wine, Castelvetro a major tourist attraction in Northern Italy. A wine enthusiast hasn’t really lived until they visit this special town.  

 The enchanting suburb is also known as Italy’s motor valley, home to some of the most luxurious sports cars in the world. Since the virus situation broke out in the region, 80% of all tourist activities have been canceled. #PrayForItaly