Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Prosecutors Probe Fatal Grape-Press Restart That Killed Italian Winemaker Matteo Forner

Authorities are investigating whether a power restoration caused the machine to activate during cleaning.

Overview

  • Forner, 44, was cleaning the press around 7:45 p.m. on Oct. 10 when it powered back on and fatally crushed him, according to local reports.
  • The incident occurred at the family-run Pat del Colmél winery in Castelcucco in Italy’s Treviso province.
  • Investigators are assessing accounts of a brief outage that made the press appear off before it restarted when power returned, with no definitive cause announced.
  • His father, Lino Forner, witnessed the accident and raised the alarm, and responders pronounced Matteo dead at the scene before transferring his body to the Castelfranco Veneto mortuary.
  • Castelcucco mayor Paolo Mares paid tribute to Forner, a 2022 city council electee known in the regional wine community, who is survived by a 15-year-old son.