According to the California Wine Institute, residents of the Vatican City State drink as much as 74 liters of wine per year. This rate is much higher than in countries where large amounts of wine are traditionally produced and drunk, such as Italy - 37.5 liters per capita, France and Spain. The Vatican also surpassed the United States, Germany, China, and the United Kingdom.
The biggest influence on the record consumption of this liquor is its sale in the Vatican supermarket, where there is an unusually wide range of wines and prices are more attractive than in Italy (much lower excise taxes). Although only people with special passes, mainly Vatican employees, have access to this market, its turnover is huge.
