Italian Winery Mishap Causes Wine (Yes, Wine) to Flow from Pipes in Nearby Homes
Wine was on tap for some unsuspecting Italian locals — right in the comfort of their own homes.
On Wednesday, residents in Castelvetro, Italy, turned on their faucets, showers and other water sources to discover wine flowing through their homes’ pipes, according to CNN.
A total of 1,000 liters of wine trickled into water pipes in the town, the network reported, after a malfunction at the Cantina Settecani winery.
The deputy mayor of Castelvetro, Giorgia Mezzacqui, told CNN that the wine poured freely through faucets in about 20 homes for an estimated three hours. Given the town’s grappling with the novel coronavirus outbreak, the official said the mishap offered a lighthearted moment for the community.
“At a time where we have very little to smile about, I’m glad we brought some levity to others,” Mezzacqui said.
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What a delightful malfunction! Italian citizens in the Modena region were surprised to find red wine flowing from their taps, after a technical fault with a nearby winery silo.
One resident said he bottled ‘a hundred bottles’ before the problem was fixed. #9News pic.twitter.com/pfJWI0aJDT— Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) March 6, 2020
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On Facebook, the winery apologized for “the possible inconvenience caused by the episode.”
“Due to a valve failure of the bottling line wash circuit, Lambrusco Grasparossa was released this morning from some taps of the fraction of Settecani,” read a statement on Wednesday, translated to English. “… The accident did not involve hygiene or sanitary risks: it was only wine, but already ready for bottling!”
An official page for the Castelvetro community also addressed the situation on Facebook, writing that though everyone “laughed,” it was “also important to understand how this happened.” The statement confirmed that a “valve dysfunction” was to blame.
“Because of this dysfunction the wine accidentally ended up in the water network. We apologize for the inconvenience,” read the statement on Saturday, translated to English. “We still wanted to let you know that we are keeping the situation monitored and update you on any development.”
