Why Vatican City is the world’s top wine importer per capita

Tucked behind the colonnades of St Peter’s Basilica lies the world’s most surprising wine powerhouse. With sacred rites, papal palates and duty-free Prosecco all in the mix, James Bayley investigates how Vatican City became the globe’s top wine importer per capita – and why Italy’s grip on its cellar remains unshaken.

The Vatican City imports almost every drop of the wine it consumes. According to trade data from the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS), in 2019 Italy supplied an astonishing 99.9% of Vatican wine imports by volume: 63,163 litres out of a total of 63,214 litres.

By 2021, Italy’s dominance remained practically unchallenged, accounting for 96.3% of the Vatican’s wine imports. Austria trailed far behind with 3.6%, while all other countries combined barely scraped 30 litres.

This is hardly surprising given the city-state’s location. Enclaved within Rome, the Vatican benefits from both proximity and papal privilege. Italian wines – from everyday table reds to sweet sacramental Marsala and celebratory Prosecco – form the foundation of both spiritual ritual and social hospitality.

Yet a Spanish cameo deserves mention. As reported by El País, the family-run Bodegas Heras Cordón in La Rioja has for years supplied the Vatican with around 2,000 bottles annually, its labels adorned with the papal coat of arms. A symbolic gesture, perhaps, but one that speaks to the Vatican’s appreciation for vinous distinction.

Grapes of heaven: the (very modest) rise of Vatican viticulture

Until recently, the notion of “Vatican wine” would have seemed quaintly ironic – there are no vineyards within the 0.44 km² confines of the Holy See. However, change is afoot. In 2023–24, the Vatican planted two hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon on the grounds of Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence outside Rome.

According to multiple sources, this tiny vineyard is expected to yield its first vintage by 2026. The wines will carry a Vatican label, destined for internal use and sale within the city-state’s tax-free shops. The aim is not to replace imports but to provide a small, symbolic supply for Vatican employees and visitors.

Even once the vines bear fruit, Vatican City will remain dependent on imports. Fortunately, those imports benefit from the 1929 Lateran Treaty, under which Italy grants the Vatican duty-free status. Goods entering the Vatican are exempt from Italian customs duties and domestic taxes. As a result, bottles of Chianti, Barolo or Franciacorta are untouched by VAT or excise – a divine exemption, indeed.

Still, sparkling and sacramental wines

Wine in the Vatican is not simply a drink – it’s a sacrament, a celebration, a staple. In 2019, data from WITS shows that still bottled wine made up about 67% of imports (around 42,392 litres), with sparkling wine accounting for the remaining 33% (20,822 litres). Not a drop of bulk wine entered the Holy See – all wine arrived in bottles, ready for the altar or the table.

Sacramental wines are folded into the still wine category. These are typically sweet reds made “ex genimine vitis” – from the fruit of the vine – in accordance with Canon Law. These altar wines are often sourced from religious-run Italian producers who specialise in vino da messa, adhering to liturgical standards.

Sparkling wine also plays its part. Nearly all of the 20,800 litres of bubbles imported in 2019 came from Italy – Prosecco from Veneto, Asti Spumante from Piedmont and the occasional Champagne routed via EU channels. These wines appear at papal receptions, diplomatic events and festive clergy dinners, filling flutes as reverently as chalices.

And yet, whether for celebration or consecration, wine holds deeper meaning. In his Angelus address on 5 June 2022, Pope Francis reflected: “Wine is a sign of the feast, of the joy of the bridegroom, and bread is the daily food. Jesus makes them the sacrament of his body and blood, and with them he gives us his love.” In this sense, every bottle in Vatican City carries a little sacrament with its sediment.

The most wine-loving state on Earth?

Per capita, Vatican City consumes more wine than any other country on Earth. According to 2019 import figures and a population of roughly 800 citizens, the average per-person consumption was around 79 litres per year – or 99 bottles.

This figure is nearly double that of France or Italy. At a total import value of US$340,000 in 2019, each citizen accounted for around US$430 in annual wine spending – and that’s at wholesale, duty-free prices.

However, this celestial statistic is somewhat misleading. Many wine consumers in the Vatican aren’t citizens at all. Thousands of clergy, employees, Swiss Guards, diplomats and pilgrims drink within the walls of the Holy See without holding Vatican passports. Wine consumed during Masses, in clergy refectories and at Vatican cafés contributes significantly to the total, diluting the per capita figure when spread over a larger population.

If one assumes around 5,000 individuals partake in Vatican wine annually, the adjusted consumption drops to about 10-15 litres per person – more in line with countries like Germany or the UK. But even so, the combination of high-quality wine, low cost and deep cultural integration makes for a remarkably oenophilic environment.

Why the Vatican’s wine story matters

Wine in the Vatican is not just about taste – it’s theology, diplomacy and daily ritual all in one. With no large-scale production of its own, Vatican City remains entirely dependent on imported wine – almost all of it Italian – under a regime of divine fiscal exemption. Italian customs simply record the shipments and waive the taxes. The wine arrives labelled, bottled and blessed in spirit, if not in form.

Even with a nascent vineyard taking root at Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican’s future as a wine importer remains secure. Whether pouring Rioja for the Pope or consecrating sweet Marsala on the altar, wine in Vatican City is as much a symbol of continuity as communion.

And in Pope Francis’ words, “With them he gives us his love.” A fitting benediction for the world’s most devoted, and perhaps most joyful, wine-drinking nation.

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