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

The May announcement of the first-ever American Pope, Leo XIV, still has the whole world buzzing. While Robert Francis Prevost’s hometown of Chicago has its own distinct wine and spirits culture (Malört, 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. That’s right: The Vatican has a wine scene—and a secretly influential one, too. Surrounded by Rome, 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, as reported by news and website editor James Bayley of the Drinks Business—making it roughly double that of France and Italy. We invited Bayley onto the podcast to discuss his recent deep-dive into how the Vatican became the world’s most surprising wine powerhouse, and what the future may hold for Vatican-made wine. 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 podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast