FOOD NEWS
The Time Italian Wine Windows Were A Defense Line Against The Plague
By Nico Danilovich
While the resurgence of the bubonic plague devastated Italy during the 17th century, it also led to some rather unique innovations, such as Italian wine windows.
The need for social distancing was vaguely understood back then, but folks still craved Italian wine. So, winemakers devised a way to sell vino with zero contact.
Mainly constructed between the 16th and 19th centuries, wine windows were a way for noble families to sell their extra wine directly to the working class without getting taxed.
During the Italian Plague of 1630, wine sellers began using metal tubes extended through these “buchette del vino” to dispense wine while avoiding contact.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw the revival of wine windows as businesses utilized them for zero-contact food pickup. The remaining windows are currently protected as cultural artifacts.