Did you say free wine? Check the Italian wine fountain

October is approaching and it is time for legends, and there’s no better one than this when it comes to wine: did you know that in Italy you might come across a wine fountain? You read that right: we cannot assure you it is natural wine but it is worth investigating, what do you think? 😉

The first wine fountain in Ortona

It was inaugurated in 1996 and is the first wine fountain in Italy: the Ortona fountain is located near the city of Chieti on the road between Rome and Ortona, in the middle of the Saint Thomas Path, a religious path dedicated to the saint whose name it bears and which ends right where the saint’s remains are kept.
The wine fountain is located inside the Dora Sarchese cellars, where the wine that flows is produced. Local wine, therefore, coming directly from the source.
The idea of ​​creating the fountain is due to the association that takes care of the maintenance of the Saint Thomas Path, which thought it up on the example of that of the Botegas Irache in Estella, in Navarre: a place to refresh the palates and replenish the souls of travellers and pilgrims who decide to set out on this spiritual path. If the inspiration is Spanish, however, the design is Italian: the fountain was in fact made by the architect Rocco Valentini from the recovery of an old 50-litre barrel.

Are there other wine fountains in Italy?

The idea of ​​wine fountains is not new, and several are present all over the world. The one in Ortona is the first to be inaugurated in Italy. The others are those of San Floriano del Collio (in the province of Gorizia), Carosino (Taranto) and Marino (Rome).

Is there a charge for the Ortona wine fountain?

The Ortona wine fountain is free, with the excellent wine offered by Cantina Dora Sarchese, and is always active: just open the tap, bring the glass close and taste the nectar that comes out. If after talking about wine fountains you are craving an excellent Italian wine, try one of our organic or biodynamic Italian wines!