Wine In the Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay
“If there’s one thing we are known for, it’s wine,” says Tony Parker, the French NBA Hall of Famer who served as one of the 10,000 Olympic torchbearers at this year’s games.
By Gregory Leporati
One of the greatest traditions in all of sports is the Olympic torch relay, when the flame parades across the host country to usher in the start of the games.
With this year’s summer Olympics hosted in Paris, the torch has enjoyed a particularly wine-splashed route through France, one of the most iconic wine regions in the world.
“If there’s one thing we are known for, it’s wine,” says Tony Parker, the French NBA Hall of Famer who served as one of the 10,000 Olympic torchbearers at this year’s games.
After retiring from basketball, he’s become a vintner himself, joining entrepreneur Michael Reybier in 2022 as a partner of Château La Mascaronne. “The vineyards of France have been in this world for ages,” he adds. “It’s a history our country is very proud of.”
The Olympic torch relay dates back to the 1936 Summer games in Berlin, though the tradition draws inspiration from Ancient Greece, which would keep a flame lit throughout the competition.
This year’s journey through France consists of 68 stages and began in Marseille on May 8. Since then, the torch has been crisscrossing the entire country—reaching 65 territories in just over two months—before ultimately lighting the cauldron in Paris on July 26, signaling the start of the games.
As you get set to watch this year’s Summer Olympics, take a look at some of the many wine-infused landmarks, regions and personalities that were a part of the torch’s epic journey through France.
May 9
Stage 1: Marseille
There is arguably no better athlete to serve as one of France’s first torchbearers than Tony Parker. With four championships with the San Antonio Spurs under his belt, Parker is one of his country’s most recognizable athletes. He took particular pride to carry the torch through Marseille, a city he loves.
“It was an unbelievable experience and a huge honor,” Parker explains. “To do it in Marseille was special: It’s just a great sports city, where the fans are super passionate.”
Wine has played a key role in Parker’s life—he’s loved it ever since he was 17 and had his first sip—and his arrival in the NBA back in 2001 partly sparked the Association’sgrowing wine culture.
“I was lucky that Coach Pop [Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich] loves wine,” Parker explains. “He has a huge collection, and through the years, we’d do dinners at my house with the best Bordeaux,the best wines in the world, and we’d chat about and learn the history behind it.”
In his retirement, Parker is now a partner of Château La Mascaronne and is deeply involved in the wine-making process. He’s developed a particular fondness for rosé (“It’s so fresh!” he says) and is excited to see other athletes pursuing wine.
“NBA players are now very proud to post the vintage they drink on social media,” he says. “Guys like Dwyane Wade, Carmelo, Steph Curry, all have their own labels… As a French guy, I’m super proud to see the evolution of it.”
May 12
Stage 4: Bouches-Du-Rhône
Known for its beautiful landscapes in the shadow of the Alps, Provence has become a magnet for big-name celebrities in recent years, with everyone from Brad Pitt to George Lucas to Post Malone attaching their names to rosés from the region.
Bouches-Du-Rhône is the most populous department within Provence. As the Olympic torch made its way from Cassis to Istres, it passed by the stunning Montagne Sainte-Victoire (made famous by Paul Cézanne). The mountain range features a host of wineries nearby, such as Mas de Cadenet, Domaine Jas Monges, Domaine Terre de Mistral and fifth-generation run Château Gassier, which today offers a range of rosé and white wines, utilizing a blend of Rolle (i.e. Vermentino) and Ugni Blanc grapes.
May 16
Stage 8: Aude
Few people merge sports with wine like Gerard Bertrand. The former French rugby player (who captained professional team Stade Français Paris) later took over his family estate to become one of the most renowned winemakers of the Languedoc-Roussillon region. He fittingly served as a torchbearer during the eighth stage in Aude, which is part of the region.
“Brandishing the flame was a sensational experience with fabulous symbolic significance,” Bertrand says. “Carrying the Olympic flame is a testament to the power of sport to inspire and bring people together from all corners of the world.”
May 23
Stage 14: Bourdeaux and the Libournais
At this stage of the journey, the flame passed through Saint-Émilion—a quaint village home to about 2,000 people—and passed in front of iconic Premier Grand Cru Château Cheval Blanc as well as Château Angelus, a winery known for its Carillon d’Angélus, a variable blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The torch also journeyed past L’Observatoire du Gabriel, a Michelin-starred restaurant operated by Château Angelus.
“We’re situated right on Place de la Bourse, in the historical city center,” says Bertrand Noeureuil, the restaurant’s chef. “So, not only did our patrons outside get to enjoy picture-perfect postcard views of the Miroir d’Eau and the Garonne, but they also had a front-row seat to the excitement as the torch passed by.” Other nearby wineries include Château Cantenac, Château Laniote and Château Soutard.
May 28
Stage 18: Maine-et-Loire
This is just one of the stages of the relay that passes through the vineyard- and chateaux-filledLoire Valley. After passing through the inner courtyard of medieval Gothic Montsoreau castle, the torch criss-crossed the vineyards of the Coteaux du Layon in Pays de la Loire.
The area, which is home to Domaine des Baumard, Château de la Roulerie and Domaine de la Soucherie, is “known for its sweet wines that benefit from botrytis (a yeast) which develops as a result of misty mornings in late summer,” says Reggie Solomon, Wine Enthusiast’s Loire Valley reviewer. “Wines from Coteaux du Layon are among the best sweet wines in the world.”
May 30
Stage 20: Calvados
As the torch wound its way north, it reached the outskirts of Normandy, a historically rich location known for the D-Day invasion and the Mont Saint-Michel pilgrimage site. The wider region of Calvados, though, is also known for its distinct apple brandy—in fact, due to its Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) status, this type of brandy can only be produced in Normandy.
Today, Calvados has become a popular spirit. Last year, Daniel Lovig, beverage director at Santa Monica, California’s Pasjoli (where actor Jeremy Allen White prepped for his role in theThe Bear) described it to Wine Enthusiast as a more approachable brandy.
“Since the flavor of apples is more easily identified, there’s a more instant gratification of ‘getting it,’” he explained.
June 18
Stage 34: Alpes-Maritimes
Few regions of France are quite as popular as the Riviera. Its seaside destinations, like Nice and Cannes, are some of the country’s most popular tourist attractions.
As the Olympic torch made its way south, it even stopped in Monaco—a sovereign country that, nonetheless, draws much of its culture from surrounding France. Like France, the principality has a strong love of wine, with vineyards such as Château de Bellet nearby.
One of the torch bearers during this stage was Charles Leclerc, a popular Monegasque driver in Formula 1—a sport with its own wine-fueled history and tradition.
June 30
Stage 45: Marne
A sparkling, northern region of France, Marne is perhaps best known for its largest city, Reims. Nearby wineries, such as Laurent-Perrier, Telmont and Billecart-Salmon, are known for their Champagnes.
The torch route traveled through the Avenue de Champagne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 2015. Located in Épernay, the iconic road houses major wineries including Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger and Champagne de Venoge. Keeping with the wine theme, torchbearers made their way to the Dom Pérignon statue in Sainte-Menehould for a fun photo op.
This stage concluded with a celebration in Reims, which featured a stop at the Parc de Champagne, a lush patch of land that sprawls more than 50 acres in the southeastern part of the city.
July 11
Stage 54: Yonne
Winemakers took center stage during the torch’s trip through Yonne, the Burgundy department that’s home to Chablis, known for its Chardonnay. Torchbearers included winemaker Églantine Borgnat of Domaine Borgnat, in Coulanges-la-Vineuse, and Laurent Pinson, winemaker of Domaine Pinson, in Chablis, who also chairs the region’s AS Chablis professional football club.
July 12
Stage 55: Cote-D’or
As the torch neared the home stretch of its journey, it stopped at the Château du Clos de Vougeot—a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of the Route des Grands Crus. Founded by Cistercian monks of the Cîteaux Abbey, the vineyards date back to the 12th century.
“Wine and gastronomy run deep into our culture,” says Arnaud Orsel, the château’s general manager. “The landscape, the way people treat it and share it—that’s all part of who we are.”
The torch was celebrated at an elaborate dinner and ceremony at the chateau, which also featured members of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (which translates to Fraternity of the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Wine-Tasting Cup) in attendance. Founded in 1934, this exclusive society of Burgundian wine-lovers admits members from all over the world, with a total membership at around 12,000. “About 2,600 members are from the U.S.,” Orsel notes.
Monuments at the chateau paid homage to limestone, a key part of its unique terroir, and an artistic display of wine barrels decorated like the Olympic rings stood front and center at the winery’s entrance.
“It symbolizes the links between Burgundy and sportsmen in the Olympics,” Orsel says.
July 26
Stage 68: Paris
The torch makes its final stop in Paris, where it will light the cauldron to symbolize the start of the Olympic games prior to the opening ceremony. And it’s a fitting conclusion to the torch’s epic journey.
“Paris is the most beautiful city in the world,” says Parker, who adds that he is particularly looking forward to watching basketball (naturally), gymnastics, soccer and judo during this year’s games. He’ll be working as a broadcaster and analyst on French TV and says he is rooting for a USA vs. France final in men’s basketball.
“Do you notice how, for the U.S. men’s basketball team, everyone wanted to join it this time?” Parker says, with a laugh. “That’s because everyone wants to be in Paris.”
The “City of Light” sits near a wealth of great wine regions, from Champagne in the northeast, toBurgundyin the southeast and theLoire Valleyin the southwest. And while Parker is glad that wine has played a prominent role so far in the run-up to the Olympics, he’s most hopeful that the spirit of camaraderie and friendship—of which, he says, wine can play a part—is what will make these games particularly memorable.
“If you love both people and socializing, you’ll love wine,” he says. “I always open a good bottle when something good happens in my life… It brings people together. And I hope we’ll come together to create great memories during these Olympic games.”
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