Fault at winery causes Lambrusco to flow from taps in Italian village

Residents of Settecani near Modena were shocked to discover Lambrusco, rather than water, running through their taps after a local winery experienced a technical fault.

As reported by local paper Gazzetta di Modena, the incident took place on the morning of 4 March in Settecani, a small town in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.

The local winery said it had suffered a technical fault in its bottling line, which resulted in wine flowing through taps in houses in the immediate vicinity of the site. The contamination was reportedly caused by the higher pressure of the wine, compared to that of the water, leading to the former to displace the latter.

The winery in question, Cantina Settecani, apologised for the incident and stressed that it was quickly resolved.

Posting a statement on social media, it said: “Due to a fault in the bottling line, Lambrusco Grasparossa came out of some taps in Settecani. Hera (a waste disposal company) intervened following our report and the problem was solved.

“The incident did not involve hygiene or health risks. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

The Castelvetro di Modena council also apologised for the episode. “Regarding the reports received about the Settecani water system, we want to inform you that it was caused by a sudden failure of the production plant of a company in the area,” it said.

“The fault has already been resolved and there are no more problems with the network in question. We reassure those involved that it was a loss of wine, that is not harmful to the body and which poses no hygiene and health risks.”

While engineers were quick to fix the problem, the Gazzetta di Modena reported that local residents “bottled as much of the precious liquid as they could…to enjoy at subsequent lunches or dinners featuring sausages and other local specialities.”