Episode

Cocaine wine: The Pope’s energy drink

Podcast
No One Saw It Coming
Published
Mar 29, 2026
Duration seconds
1546
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/no-one-saw-it-coming/cocaine-wine-vin-mariani/106436624
Audio
https://mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net/audio/02/im/Z/n4.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/no-one-saw-it-coming-7272304/episodes/cocaine-wine-the-pope-s-energy-drink
Markdown
/podcast/no-one-saw-it-coming-7272304/cocaine-wine-the-pope-s-energy-drink.md

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Summary

If you looked at it, you wouldn’t bat an eyelid, but this red wine had something in it that today could land you in jail. It was drunk and endorsed by presidents, royalty and even popes and made its maker a millionaire. Dr Tim Madge tells Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) the story of Vin Mariani, the cocaine-infused wine that was endorsed by royalty, presidents and popes and how it became the precursor to a product that millions of people around the world - including children - drink every day. Binge all the episodes of No One Saw It Coming now on ABC listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch: Got a story for us? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]