It takes altitude, sunshine and stamina to make a great bike race — and a great bottle of wine. So it’s no surprise that France, home to the Tour de France, also produces many of the world’s most celebrated wines. In honour of this year’s route, James Bayley presents a stage-by-stage pairing of Global Masters medal-winning French wines.

It takes altitude, sunshine and stamina to make a great bike race — and a great bottle of wine. So it’s no surprise that France, home to the Tour de France, also produces many of the world’s most celebrated wines. In honour of this year’s route, James Bayley presents a stage-by-stage pairing of Global Masters medal-winning French wines.

Stage 1 (5 July · Lille → Lille, 184.9 km; flat)

Lille offers little in the way of vineyards but does beg the ceremonial cork‑pop of a Champagne. In the spirit of Tour history, when riders swigged wine mid‑stage to dull cramps and celebrate in equal measure, we open with a Champagne Gold medallist from the 2025 Champagne Masters, a reminder that Tour and Champagne share a bubbly tradition.

Stage 2 (6 July · Lauwin‑Planque → Boulogne‑sur‑Mer, 209.1 km; hilly)

Boulogne‑sur‑Mer by the Channel demands a bracing white. We pour a Chablis from the Chardonnay Masters 2024 — flinty, steely, saline — not far from the coast in terms of spirit if not geography. It’s precisely what you’d serve with oysters and crosswinds; an elegant riposte to the cunning north wind.

Stage 3 (7 July · Valenciennes → Dunkerque, 178.3 km; flat)

Expect a peppery northerly gust and cobbles. We imagine a Gold medal Bordeaux Merlot blend (Global Merlot Masters 2025) from Sainte‑Foy‑Bordeaux — velvety plum fruit, earth and structure — to fortify riders much as early cyclists forted themselves with red wine for strength. It’s the kind of thick‑skinned wine nostalgic riders might’ve sought in a bidon.

Stage 4 (8 July · Amiens → Rouen, 174.2 km; hilly)

Rouen was once a major wine exporter in medieval times. A Loire Chenin Blanc medallist (Chenin Masters 2024) brings acidity, orchard fruit and honeyed nuance — perfect foil for Normandy cheese and cider land. That’s Rouen’s wine legacy in a single glass.

Stage 5 (9 July · Caen → Caen, 33 km ITT; time‑trial)

Caen celebrates its millennium this year. In tribute, we chill a Muscadet Sèvre‑et‑Maine — a French white known for subtle lees complexity and maritime salinity. Not medalled, but thoroughly Loire‑authentic and an elegant nod to Normandy’s coast.

Stage 6 (10 July · Bayeux → Vire, 201.5 km; hilly)

Normandy again offers no vines, but south‑west wines can remind us it’s still France. A Gamay from Beaujolais Villages, Silver medallist in the Under £10 Masters 2025, with fresh strawberry and peony, low tannin and gently cheering frivolity — just right for a rural stage before the riders hit real wine country.

Stage 7 (11 July · Saint‑Malo → Mûr‑de‑Bretagne Guerlédan, 197 km; hilly)

Despite the coastal ammonia, we pivot to a Rosé Silver or Gold medallist from the Loire — perhaps a pale Cabernet d’Anjou or Touraine praised in the 2025 Rosé Masters. Easy, off‑dry, crowd‑pleasing, with very faint strawberry fruit — sunny, even if Brittany refuses to shine.

Stage 8 (12 July · Saint‑Méen‑le‑Grand → Laval, 171.4 km; flat)

Leaving Brittany behind, we edge into the vineyards of the Mayenne’s Loire fringe. A Crémant de Loire Gold medallist (Sparkling Masters 2025) of Chenin Blanc delivers fine bubbles, white‑flower perfume and almond pastry — celebratory without Champagne’s expense.

Stage 9 (13 July · Chinon → Châteauroux, 174.1 km; flat)

Here we are in Chinon country. We choose a Cabernet Franc Gold medallist (Loire Cabernet Franc Masters 2024) — red‑fruited, herbal, vibrant and elegant — eminently drinkable, like the well‑balanced sprinter breakaway finish we expect.

Stage 10 (14 July · Ennezat → Le Mont‑Dore, 165.3 km; mountain)

Massif Central climbs call for something volcanic and unpretentious. A Mâcon‑Villages Gold medallist (Chardonnay Masters 2024) delivers toast, apple and stony drive — light enough to breathe at 1,400 m altitude, yet serious enough to pair with rites of red meat and Bastille Day bravado.

Stage 11 (16 July · Toulouse → Toulouse, 156.8 km; flat)

Not far south of Toulouse lies Fronton. Although those wines rarely medal, we cheekily include a regional Fronton rouge — violets, pepper, raspberry — celebrating local terroir that cheekily resists being part of Bordeaux’s shadow.

Stage 12 (17 July · Auch → Hautacam, 180.6 km; mountain)

At the base of Hautacam, Côtes de Gascogne Sauvignon Blanc or Colombard blend (Sauvignon Masters 2025) gives gooseberry brightness and racing acidity. At the summit, the day demands something robust: Madiran or Cahors Tannat/Malbec blend, bold and tannic — Southern‑France red with Alpine mileage.

Stage 13 (18 July · Loudenvielle → Peyragudes, 10.9 km ITT)

A mountain time trial. We offer Pacherenc du Vic‑Bilh late‑harvest Petit Manseng, sweet and citrus‑honeyed, to notion‑ally revive exhausted climbers at altitude. Think of it as gas‑station espresso in wine form.

Stage 14 (19 July · Pau → Superbagnères, 182.6 km; mountain)

Jurançon Moelleux, the wine that gave French kings vigour — and that’s saying something. Though rarely medalled, it’s sweet, tropical and acidic enough to cut foie gras or mountain stew — ideal for the toil up Superbagnères.

Stage 15 (20 July · Muret → Carcassonne, 169 km; hilly)

Languedoc territory. We uncork Clos du Temple Rosé (Global Rosé Masters 2025) from Cabrières: refined, herbal, saline, with striking complexity. A rosy tribute to the medieval citadel and Languedoc’s rise from bulk reds to serious pink.

Stage 16 (22 July · Montpellier → Mont Ventoux, 171.5 km; mountain)

Mont Ventoux returns in dramatic fashion. A Bandol Rosé Gold medallist 2025 — like Domaine Ott’s Mourvèdre‑led rosé — is structured, savoury, grapefruit‑tinged: Provence in pink, worthy of a tribute to Ventoux’s white limestone and lavender-strewn underbelly.

Stage 17 (23 July · Bollène → Valence, 160.4 km; flat)

The Rhône valley dominates. We’d reach for a Crozes‑Hermitage medallist (Syrah Masters 2024) — pepper, olive tapenade, blackberry juice — classic Rhône strength for a breakaway or GC shake‑up.

Stage 18 (24 July · Vif → Courchevel (Col de la Loze), 171.5 km; mountain)

Alpine terrain needs alpine wine: Vin de Savoie Apremont (Chardonnay Master 2024) — Jacquère grape, floral, citrus, alpine minerality. Crisp enough for the height, modest in alcohol, perfect before the final climb.

Stage 19 (25 July · Albertville → La Plagne, 129.9 km; mountain)

From Olympic Albertville to La Plagne: we serve Mondeuse, the peppery red of Savoie. Rarely in Masters, but akin to medal-winning Burgundian Pinot Noirs in style, it has savoury structure balanced by finesse — ideal for a chalet finish.

Stage 20 (26 July · Nantua → Pontarlier, 184.2 km; hilly)

Jura country calls for Vin Jaune, the legendary Savagnin wine aged under voile for years, nutty, walnut, curry spice, bone‑dry. Iconic French oddity, perfect for a stage that feels off‑grid and timeless.

Stage 21 (27 July · Mantes‑la‑Ville → Paris, 132.3 km; flat including Montmartre climbs)

Monumental finish. The traditional yellow‑jersey Champagne sprays — here, a Gold medallist from the Champagne Masters 2025, perhaps Deutz or another top maison: creamy brioche, pear, white flowers — effervescent, refined, stately. And yes, they’ll toast atop Montmartre too, because even climbing sprinters deserve a flute on the podium.

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