Pope Francis urges winemakers to aim for excellence

Pope Francis welcomed the “development of a new vineyard for wine production” in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo during an audience with members of the Laudato si' High Formation Center on September 19, 2024. He asked that this agricultural activity, the successor of Pope Benedict XVI's vineyard, aim for “excellence” and be a sign of the bond that unites man with creation.

In 2005, shortly after his election, Pope Benedict XVI, who had described himself on the balcony of the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica as “a humble worker in the Lord's vineyard,” had a vineyard planted in one of the garden plots of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo. Behind the initiative was the powerful National Confederation of Independent Farmers, a kind of Italian farmers' union that plays a key role in Italy’s economy.

The Italian farmers lined up a few rows of Trebbiano — a white grape variety — and Cesanese di Affile — a red grape variety — on a 1,000-square-meter (10,763 square feet) plot in the gardens of this residence a few miles south of Rome. Fifteen years later, the plants in the vineyard, administered by the Vatican Museums, were completely uprooted. Some media reported plans to build a congress center, others said that the vines were sterile or in poor health.

As the vineyard was considered a visible reminder of Benedict XVI, the news caused quite a stir.

However, the year after, in 2021, Pope Francis had the vineyard replanted on a much larger scale (20,000 square meters, or 215,278 square feet), this time entrusting the task to the Italian Association of Wine Producers.

In 2023, the Argentine pope decided to place part of the Castel Gandolfo grounds, including the vineyard plot, under the care of a new “Laudato si' Center for Higher Education.” Among the tasks entrusted to these ecological experts was the development of a Laudato si' Village, in which the principles developed by the pope in his famous 2015 encyclical would be applied in concrete terms.

One year after the launch of the project, Pope Francis received the members of the Laudato si' Center for Higher Formation on Thursday. He welcomed the initial progress made, highlighting in particular the advances regarding agricultural facilities.

He praised investments in certain irrigation infrastructures and the “development of agricultural techniques that respect the ecosystem and biodiversity.”

The pontiff explained that the “new vineyard” at Castel Gandolfo was to be a “synthesis of tradition and innovation,” and act as a “trademark” for the Laudato si' Village, a venue for seminars and conferences on ecological issues.

And he stressed how important it is for winemakers to “always strive for excellence.”