In a perfect world, water fountains would bear not lowly H20 but a never-ending stream of pinot noir, gushing 24 hours a day. A vineyard in Italy realized this dream, and recently inaugurated a fountain that dispenses locally-produced wine to passersby—for free. The “Fontana del Vino” is located in Caldary di Ortona, near Rome, along the Cammino di San Tommaso, a popular pilgrimage route that brings thousands of Italians to the town where the body of Jesus’ disciple Thomas is said to be kept.
The wine fountain is the work of the Dora Sarchese vineyard, and it poured its first glasses on Sunday. The vineyard hopes the wine fountain will help “welcome pilgrims and visitors to Ortona, to refresh them and offer them a taste of our beautiful land,” according to a Facebook post. The wine fountain isn’t the first of its kind, but it does appear to be the first in Italy. The famous road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain has a similar wine fountain, but that one only operates from 8am until 8pm.
If you don’t have any Italian vineyards in your neighborhood, but still want to quench your thirst with a glass of wine, try building a DIY wine bottle fountain. You can even use old bottles that you’ve been saving for such a purpose, which will save on both money and waste. Make sure you choose clear bottles for your fountain, and consider removing the labels if they’re too visually distracting.wine fountains