Vino Sfuso, a dream come true

Here are two little words that will forever change your wine experience in Italy- Vino Sfuso (loose or bulk wine).

During my first trip to Italy, I was going to dinner at my cousin's house and wanted to bring some wine as a gift. As I was not familiar with the area, I asked my cousin (who was driving) to stop at the closest wine store so I could quickly pick up a few bottles. In my head, this would be like any other wine retail store. Boy, was I wrong and in such a good way. He brought me to his local wine shop where you buy wine on tap, known as Vino Sfuso.

I never even knew this existed and thought the idea was so clever! Why don't we have this in the United States? It was such a fun experience and something that I still talk about and remember to this day. As soon as we walked in there were wine barrels all over the floor and one gentleman behind the counter, with a selection of about 15 self-pour taps. I'm thinking to myself, "Where are we? and why does this look like some backroom operation?" My cousin proceeded to translate and let him know I was looking for some wine for dinner. To my surprise, the man started pouring wine from the taps for me to try. A red, a white, a rose, etc. He was very professional and allowed me to take a few photos. 

As I was choosing my favorites, many locals came in with boxes or crates of empty bottles. The man who at this point, I'm thinking is some kind of sommelier, proceeds to fill up their bottles from the taps and re-cork them! They pay, take their freshly bottled vino, and leave. 

So, now it's clicking that this is something very common in Italy and a part of daily life for the locals. Why haven't I ever seen this in a movie or on TV? It was totally unexpected but thrilling to me since I felt that I was getting an authentic Italian experience. 

I chose my 4 selections and the wine guy took 4 unlabeled plain glass bottles, filled them, and corked them for me. My total was something like 12 euros. 2-3 euros each!! Which at the time was about $4/bottle. So I'm thinking, well how good can it really be for $4 a bottle, right? Boy, I was wrong again! The wine was delicious and when I think back about it, the locals wouldn't be going there every day if it wasn't good. Not only is it yummy, but it's also affordable and environmentally friendly. Reusing bottles from home and the same corks cuts down on recycling and waste. Some people that came into the shop while I was taste testing even brought in jugs. I asked my cousin about this and he said you can bring in any kind of container you wish to use! 

While the shop I went to was in San Giovanni Valdarno (Nettare di vino vini sfuso di qualita entoca), all around Italy, you can find Vino Sfuso shops. Unpackaged wine from the cask (barrel or container where the wine is fermented, matured, and stored) is then tapped directly from the cask or pumped into a line of taps (like a bar). It saves on costs to sell by the barrel and distribute on tap. It can be sold so cheaply because you are paying just for the wine and you aren't paying for a label or fancy bottle, or a glorified brand name. 

Although it may be the equivalent of table wine, all wine in Italy is GOOD. You can even find Chaianti's on tap. And if you are not a wine snob, who cares? It's every day, good, Italian wine. Wine that tastes good comes down to two things, good quality wine and keeping the wine fresh. Some people assume that wine on tap means a lesser-quality or lower-cost wine, but this is not the case at all. Some wineries are now making more of their premium wine available on tap. 

For a wine to stay fresh it must be treated correctly, avoiding over-oxidization and overheating. Kegged wine actually makes this a lot easier, as the wine never touches air or gas until it is about to be served and a keg is less susceptible to variations in temperature. Wine on tap means the first glass poured is as fresh as the last!

If you find yourself in Italy, you may have to ask a local where to find a Vino Sfuso shop as they aren't advertised on the internet per se, they do depend on the locals in that neighborhood to support them and they are happy to serve just them. However, who doesn't want to sit in a Piazza at dusk with a bottle of good, affordable wine? If you are traveling on a budget, you must find one and purchase a bottle or two.

Here is a list of where you can find a few in Florence-

I'Vinaio Vino Sfuso- Piazza Puccini 25

Entoca Vitae- Borgo la Croce 75R

Bacco Nudo Di Francesco Cappellini- Via dei Macci 59R

Enoteca All Sosta Dei Papi- Borgo la Croce 81R

Fuor Di Porta- Via Pisana 29R

Vigna Vittoria Srl- Via Giovanni Fabbroni 14R