Join me for fun in a wine shop in Puglia and learn about the tradition of vino sfuso
Vino Sfuso used to the be common way for Italians to get their wine. They would arrive at a nearby winery with their demijohns and fill them with “loose wine.” This tradition is not so robust anymore in many regions where people now opt to to get their wine at the supermarket. Many mom-and-pop vineyards have few customers for vino sfuso and can’t make money from it, so they’ve stopped offering it.
The tradition of vino sfuso absolutely delighted me when I was first in Italy in the 80s. It is such a shame to see it becoming less common in the region of Tuscany where I now live. When I visited Puglia I found that it was more alive there.
Thanks to Mauro Spinozzi at Il Vinaio in Via Taranto, Lecce for collaborating on the video.
How cool! In New Zealand They have Drive “bottle shops where you can fill up in “loose” beer or cider. Of course Vino in Italy makes sense. Red wine, “green” grapes!
???? Cider in bulk sounds awesome!
We went to La Parrina in southern Tuscany and they had some industrial sized stainless container of white,rose,and red. With a nozzle like at a gas station. Our kids talked us into emptying out a couple of 2 liter water bottles and taking them home. It was pretty good and was very inexpensive.
Sounds like your kids got a kick out the “gas station pump for wine”!
Yes! They called it “hose” wine.
😉