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Number of gallons of Lambrusco that poured out of water faucets and showers in a residential area of Castelvetro, in northern Italy last week. The surprise “gift” lasted three hours and was due to a malfunction on the bottling line at Cantina Settecani winery, causing their Lambrusco Grasparossa, a local specialty, to seep through the town’s water lines. Castelvetro, in the heart of the Emilia-Romagna region, has suffered more than an 80% drop in tourism since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

What famous painting was created in exchange for a vineyard?

A. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

B. Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet

C. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

D. The Scream by Edvard Munch

Not every barter deal works out well. But in 1498, the Duke of Milan, Italy. Ludovico Sforza, probably came out ahead. Sforza offered Leonardo da Vinci, the great artist/scientist/inventor, a small vineyard in return for a painting. Da Vinci, a great wine lover, accepted, and went about painting The Last Supper, which was subsequently hung in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Da Vinci’s vineyard survived until 1943, when it was destroyed by a fire that resulted from Allied bombing in World War II. In 2007, Italian viticulturists and geneticists began excavating the site of the former vineyard, which ironically had been protected by layers of ash and debris. Through DNA testing of the extant roots they found buried there, the scientists determined that da Vinci had grown Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, a white variety still grown in Lombardy.

Enology

The science and study of winemaking, differentiated from viticulture, the study of grape growing. Also spelled oenology, it is derived from the Greek oinos meaning “wine.”

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