Fabien Gilot
FABIEN GILOT, SAINT-EMILION WINES AS A SECOND PASSION
Olympic swimming champion in London in 2012, this sprint specialist has a second passion: Saint-Emilion wines. Inducted into the Jurade during the 2014 Ban des Vendanges, Fabien Gilot shares with us some of his tasting memories.
Paroles de passionnés
Fabien Gilot
FABIEN GILOT, OLYMPIC SWIMMING CHAMPION, FRENCH TEAM CAPTAIN.
SAINT-EMILION, A FAMILY HERITAGE
Like many, Fabien Gilot discovered Saint-Emilion wines through his family: “my grandparents are wine enthusiasts. At family meals we were always served great wines. I learnt to like them little by little”, the 30-year-old swimmer remembers. Fabien Gilot has since perpetuated thetradition, with a marked taste for Saint-Emilion wines: “red wines came to me a bit later”, now “they are systematically served with a good meal”.
SAINT-EMILION WINES’ NOBILITY
Wine enthusiast, Fabien Gilot also salutes men and women who make it. In Saint-Emilion, in the renowned castles or in the less well-known ones, the swimmer says that everywhere he found: “this same love of wine, this same passion”. Attached to perfect wine-making, Fabien Gilot also emphasizes the winemakers’ attention to detail in their work: “there are so many particularities to make a good wine, so many things that can make or break a wine, I find this fascinating”.
FABIEN GILOT, NEW SAINT-EMILION AMBASSADOR
During the 2013 Ban des Vendanges celebration, Fabien Gilot was inducted into the Saint-Emilion Jurade. He is now an ambassador of the Saint-Emilion, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Lussac Saint-Emilion and Puisseguin Saint-Emilion appellations. “It’s a huge honor to me, Saint-Emilion wines are part of the French heritage”. Apart from wine, Fabien Gilot also really enjoys local produce. When asked what he likes to eat with a glass of Saint-Emilion, he simply says “a good piece of meat or a good selection of cheeses go really well with those wines!” With Fabien Gilot, the family meal tradition is in safe hands!