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Pope Francis: a life in wine
In his capacity as Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, who died yesterday at the age of 88, was a keen supporter of the Italian wine industry. The post Pope Francis: a life in wine appeared first on The Drinks Business.
In his capacity as Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, who died yesterday at the age of 88, was a keen supporter of the Italian wine industry.
"Wine, the land, farming skills and entrepreneurial activity are gifts from God, but let us not forget that the Creator has entrusted them to us, to our sensitivity and honesty, so that we may make them, as Scripture says, a true source of joy for the heart of man and of every man, not just those who have more possibilities. Thank you then for choosing to inspire your activity with sentiments of concord, help to the weakest and respect for Creation, following the example of St Francis of Assisi."
That is what Pope Francis told a delegation of more than 100 Italian producers who were granted an audience with him early last year in an event organised by Veronafiere, the body behind the Vinitaly wine show.
Born in Buenos Aires, Jorge Bergoglio, to use the late Pope's non-pontificial name, was the eldest child of Italian parents who fled Benito Mussolini's Italy in the 1920s. His father, Mario Bergoglio, hailed from the Piemontese province of Asti, itself a major wine centre, and his mother, Regina Sívori, was also of north Italian descent, though she was born in Argentina.
Bergoglio made history in 2013 when he became the first non-European born Pope in more than a millennium, returning to his ancestral homeland of Italy. Shortly after Bergoglio's election to the Papacy, the Bishop of Asti gave him a bottle of Grignolino – the Pope's grandfather had indeed cultivated vines of this Piemontese variety, noted for the astringent and pale-coloured wines it produces, in Asti.
Francis' efforts to modernise the Catholic Church saw him promote socially progressive stances and environmentalism, as evidenced later on in his address to the assembled producers in January 2024:
"In terms of the number of companies involved, quality of production and employment impact, yours' is certainly a significant presence, both on the Italian and international wine scene, and it is therefore good that you find yourselves reflecting together on the ethical aspects and moral responsibilities that all this entails, and that in this you draw inspiration from the Poverello of Assisi," said Francis. "The fundamental lines along which you have chosen to move – care for the environment, work and healthy consumer habits – indicate an attitude centred on respect, at various levels."
Giancarlo Aneri, custodian of the estate in Valpolicella, told the drinks business: "The Pope's gift made my family happy and proud, this is the greatest honour since our winery's foundation."
Paying tribute to the late Pope, Cotarella, in his capacity as president of winemakers' association Assoenologi, said: "I remember with emotion when he said: 'You can't party without wine', a phrase which, beyond its apparent lightness, contained a profound message: wine as a symbol of joy, community, sharing. As oenologists, as Italians, as men, today we lose a spiritual guide who was able to restore to wine its human and symbolic value. We will miss his voice, we will remain his example."
"Wine, the land, farming skills and entrepreneurial activity are gifts from God, but let us not forget that the Creator has entrusted them to us, to our sensitivity and honesty, so that we may make them, as Scripture says, a true source of joy for the heart of man and of every man, not just those who have more possibilities. Thank you then for choosing to inspire your activity with sentiments of concord, help to the weakest and respect for Creation, following the example of St Francis of Assisi."
That is what Pope Francis told a delegation of more than 100 Italian producers who were granted an audience with him early last year in an event organised by Veronafiere, the body behind the Vinitaly wine show.
Born in Buenos Aires, Jorge Bergoglio, to use the late Pope's non-pontificial name, was the eldest child of Italian parents who fled Benito Mussolini's Italy in the 1920s. His father, Mario Bergoglio, hailed from the Piemontese province of Asti, itself a major wine centre, and his mother, Regina Sívori, was also of north Italian descent, though she was born in Argentina.
Bergoglio made history in 2013 when he became the first non-European born Pope in more than a millennium, returning to his ancestral homeland of Italy. Shortly after Bergoglio's election to the Papacy, the Bishop of Asti gave him a bottle of Grignolino – the Pope's grandfather had indeed cultivated vines of this Piemontese variety, noted for the astringent and pale-coloured wines it produces, in Asti.
Francis' efforts to modernise the Catholic Church saw him promote socially progressive stances and environmentalism, as evidenced later on in his address to the assembled producers in January 2024:
"In terms of the number of companies involved, quality of production and employment impact, yours' is certainly a significant presence, both on the Italian and international wine scene, and it is therefore good that you find yourselves reflecting together on the ethical aspects and moral responsibilities that all this entails, and that in this you draw inspiration from the Poverello of Assisi," said Francis. "The fundamental lines along which you have chosen to move – care for the environment, work and healthy consumer habits – indicate an attitude centred on respect, at various levels."
'The abundance of the banquet'
Beyond admiring the "respect" within the wine industry, Francis also celebrated the "joy" that came with drinking the product itself. He made headlines in 2016 when he told the crowd in St Peter's Square: "Wine expresses the abundance of the banquet and the joy of the feast. Imagine finishing the wedding feast drinking tea, it would be an embarrassment." Francis' support for Italian wine went a step beyond just words – in 2024, a new project to produce wine from two hectares of vineyard (planted largely with Cabernet Sauvignon) in the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo was announced, spearheaded by celebrated Italian consulting winemaker Riccardo Cotarella. The plan is to bottle the wine next year, and sell it exclusively in the Vatican, duty-free. Even towards the very end of his life, with his health failing after two bouts of pneumonia, Pope Francis still treated wine as something special, and not just for its sacramental use during Mass. On 9 April, King Charles III and Queen Camilla paid a private visit to the Holy See, and the Holy Father gifted the British royal couple with a magnum of Amarone, a 2005 Aneri – a vintage chosen due to it being the year of their wedding, a powerful gesture given the Catholic Church's long-standing stance against the marriage of divorced persons.
Giancarlo Aneri, custodian of the estate in Valpolicella, told the drinks business: "The Pope's gift made my family happy and proud, this is the greatest honour since our winery's foundation."
Paying tribute to the late Pope, Cotarella, in his capacity as president of winemakers' association Assoenologi, said: "I remember with emotion when he said: 'You can't party without wine', a phrase which, beyond its apparent lightness, contained a profound message: wine as a symbol of joy, community, sharing. As oenologists, as Italians, as men, today we lose a spiritual guide who was able to restore to wine its human and symbolic value. We will miss his voice, we will remain his example." 
