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Jun 16 2026
Pope Leo’s Spanish Food and Wine Voyage
With Pope Leo XIV travelling to Madrid, Barcelona and Gran Canaria in June 2026, many emblematic meals were curated to celebrate Spain’s gastronomy, in its diversity and excellence.
And Pope Leo XIV is not the first religious icon to appreciate Spain’s food and wine culture. As early as the 13th Century, the famous Riojan monk and Spain’s first poet, Gonzalo de Berceo, once wrote, “A glass of good wine will be well worth it”. We hope Pope Leo XIV had an equally enjoyable culinary journey in Spain!
DOC Rioja – the Vatican’s Official Wine
For Pope Leo’s trip to Spain, the Heras Corón winery shipped some 100 bottles to use during his private audiences. It’s a lesser-known fact that the official wine for the Vatican is from this family-run winery in DOC Rioja, and has been since 2001.
With its unique distinction and certification from the Holy See, Heras Corón winery in Fuenmayor produces around 2,000 bottles a year that are exclusively destined for the Vatican, for use in official events, such as liturgical celebrations.
With a minimum of 15 months aging, their limited edition wine is a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo grapes – it’s a classic Rioja style of wine, with fruity notes. The bottle itself is unmistakeable, bearing the papal coat of arms, an image of the current pontiff and a Latin inscription that reads, “I will sing of the Lord’s mercies forever”.
Royal Academy of Gastronomy Dinner
While in Madrid, the Royal Academy of Gastronomy prepared a special dinner for Pope Leo XIV at the Episcopal Palace, an opportunity to express Spain’s rich gastronomy and cultural expression, along with notable wines from DO León and DO Bierzo. The menu was designed to bring together different samples from the country’s culinary heritage, to include gazpacho, Galician spider crab, Motril prawns, croquetas and Iberian acorn-fed ham from Huelva.
The wines showcased regions from the likes of DO León, with Trapera, a 2024 rosé of Prieto Picudo grapes by Margón winery in Pajares de los Oteros, with stone fruit and toasted notes, a white Lhardy Raúl Pérez Godello wine, and red Ultreia Villegas 2023 Mencia – both from DO Bierzo.
Produce of León a Culinary Feature
It was Lhardy, one of Madrid’s key culinary establishments, that was responsible for choosing the best products for His Holiness. This restaurant also grows vegetables on the grounds of the Santullano monastery farm, forming the base for its seasonal cuisine.
Lhardy is part of the Pescaderías Coruñesas group, an important purveyor of seafood in Spain. This expansive group has deeply rooted connections to León, the birthplace of the descendants of its founders and owners, operating many agricultural and wine projects in the region. Today, León is one of Spain’s key gastronomic regions, widely celebrated for its premium meats and rich culinary traditions.
Blessing the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
Following his time in Madrid, Pope Leo XIV arrived in Barcelona to bless the Tower of Jesus Christ - the latest and tallest crowning spire of the Sagrada Familia - on the centenary of Antoni Gaudí’s death on June 10th, before travelling onward to Gran Canaria to finish his Spanish tour.