This Champagne Is Only Given Out At The Tour De France
When it comes to pillars of French culture known around the world, beyond buttery baked goods, fragrant plates of escargot, and a certain famous Parisian tower, it does not get more iconic than two of the country's most well-known cultural exports: Champagne and the Tour de France.
So, it naturally made sense for one of the nation's venerable Champagne houses to create a special blend available only to the crème de la crème of this year's Tour de France attendees in celebration of the country's most famed sporting event.
Undeniably the most prestigious and well-known cycling event in the world, the Tour de France, which has been held annually since 1903, is a 23-day bike race that winds throughout roads spanning the entirety of France. This year, select guests of the event will have the chance to sip on a one-of-a-kind Champagne blend made exclusively for the race.
This bubbly was made for Tour de France V.I.P.s only
To commemorate this year's sporting event, which kicked off in Brest on June 26, Champagne Castelnau, a winery settled on 900 hectares of vineyards in Reims, France — the homeland of Champagne — created an ultra-exclusive special edition blend to be served in the V.I.P. areas of all arrival and departure villages along the cyclists' route.
Named the Champagne Castelnau cuvée Véloce, this specialty blend was created by Champagne Castelnau to commemorate their 10-year partnership with the Amaury Sport Organisation (the organizers of the Tour de France) as the official Champagne sponsor of the famed bike race, according to Food & Wine.
According to a brand representative, the name Véloce (which fittingly translates to "swift," "speedy," or "rapid" in English) was chosen "in admiration of the sheer velocity that the astounding athletes reach throughout the course" (via Food & Wine).
The exclusive Champagne blend was created with celebrations in mind
Made with a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier grapes and aged a minimum of three years in Castelnau's cellars (via The Drinks Business), Véloce is a limited edition bottling of the brand's Brut NV blend. According to Food & Wine, Véloce consists of "the youngest and freshest wine in their portfolio" and was created specifically with celebrations in mind after "hours of endurance" overseen by the winery's previous cellar master — or cheffe de caves — Elisabeth Sarcelet.
While this year's blend celebrates a landmark in the Champagne house's partnership with the sports organization, Véloce isn't the first specialty blend created in honor of the Tour de France. Earlier this year, Champagne Castelnau released the Hors Catégorie C.M 1993, a Champagne named after the most difficult mountain pass traversed in the 2013 Tour (the year the wine was bottled), per Food & Wine. In 2019, the brand also released the special edition Cuvée Siècle blend, created in honor of a century of the race's iconic yellow jersey.
While the average Tour de France viewer — whether joining in person along the winding roads of the French countryside or watching the spectacle from their couch — won't have the opportunity to taste this special edition Champagne, sipping on a glass of France's famed sparkling wine while taking in the festivities is always a good idea.