Episode 192: What Does the Pope Drink? Inside the Vatican's Quietly Influential Wine Scene

<p>The May announcement of the first-ever American Pope, Leo XIV, still has the whole world buzzing. While Robert Francis Prevost's hometown of <a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/travel/essential-chicago/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Chicago</a> has its own distinct wine and spirits culture (<a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/basics/what-is-malort/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Malört</a>, we're looking at you), his move to Vatican City has landed him in the center of the biggest wine scene no one's ever heard of.</p> <p>That's right: The Vatican has a wine scene—and a secretly influential one, too. Surrounded by <a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/travel/a-wine-lovers-guide-to-rome/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Rome</a>, the tiny city-state is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and homebase of the Pope. It's also the biggest wine importer per capita in the entire world, <a href="https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/03/why-vatican-city-is-the-worlds-top-wine-importer-per-capita/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">as reported</a> by news and website editor James Bayley of the <em>Drinks Business</em>—making it roughly double that of <a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/region/france/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">France</a> and <a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/region/italy/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Italy</a>.</p> <p>We invited Bayley onto the podcast to discuss <a href="https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/03/why-vatican-city-is-the-worlds-top-wine-importer-per-capita/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> his recent deep-dive</a> into how the Vatican became the world's most surprising wine powerhouse, and what the future may hold for Vatican-made wine.</p> <p>Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at <a href="mailto:podcast@wineenthusiast.net" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">podcast@wineenthusiast.net</a>. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.</p> Go to <a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">WineEnthusiast.com</a> for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. <strong>And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by <a href="https://wineenthusiast.secure.darwin.cx/I3Y1HOLW" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine</a> today! </strong>   FOLLOW US: <p>TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@wineenthusiast" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@wineenthusiast</a></p> <p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wineenthusiast/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@wineenthusiast</a></p> <p>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WineEnthusiast" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@WineEnthusiast</a></p> <p>X: <a href="https://twitter.com/wineenthusiast" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@WineEnthusiast</a></p>