Pope Francis leaves you VaticanSow the wine and predict ready-to-drink bottles in 2026. “I planted the vineyard,” the Pope’s wine advisor, Italian winemaker Riccardo Cottarella, told dpa. The Vatican had assigned him to work at Castel Gandolfo, near the palace ROM, in the summer residence of leaders of the Catholic Church, to plant two hectares of vineyards. The first news about the project came in early 2021.
Francis himself does not live in the residence in the Alban Hills, but in the Vatican in Rome. “I haven’t met the Pope yet. I know he is behind the project,” said Cottarella, 72. “The grape harvest is scheduled for 2023. “The Pope’s wine will be drunk in 2026,” he explained. “We will probably make 20,000 bottles.” .
Cottarella does not expect the product to be intended for commercial use. According to him, wine was most likely present for the church itself, since wine plays a major role in the Christian religion. At first he had the idea of using chrome from the Middle East PalestineTo display the generosity of the Vatican, the Italian reported. But that failed due to bureaucratic hurdles. Now the vines from the area have been used.
As a wine connoisseur, Cotarella advises many celebrities who grow their own wine, as well as other famous farms. He is also the President of the Italian Wine Manufacturers Association (AIE).