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Gérard Bertrand carries the Olympic flame through Narbonne in the eight stage of the Olympic torch relay.
(Image credit: Gérard Bertrand)

The Olympic flame arrived in Narbonne on 16 May 2024 carried by the biodynamic winemaker – and one of the key faces of the Languedoc region around the world – Gérard Bertrand.

A tradition since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, the Olympic torch relay begins in Olympia, Greece, where the flame is lit and is then carried, mostly on foot, through the host country in the weeks leading up to the start of the Olympic Games.

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Gérard Bertrand holding the Olympic flame, alongside president of the Aude council Hélène Sandragné.
(Image credit: Gérard Bertrand)

Bertrand, who is recognised as a global leader in organics and biodynamics, said: ‘I am very proud to carry the Olympic flame, firstly because it’s my territory but above all, because it symbolises self-transcendence and the peace that we need in the world.’

Bertrand’s wine is exported to more than 180 countries worldwide, with all of his 17 estates across Languedoc – and now into the southwest with a recent purchase of an estate in Cahors – farmed biodynamically.

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Natalie Earl
Natalie Earl
Regional Editor for France (excluding Bordeaux & Burgundy)
It was during her time studying for a French and Italian degree that Natalie began her foray into wine: tutoring French in exchange for WSET lessons in her spare time (she now realises who got the better deal!). She moved to the Languedoc after graduating to work for a vineyard tour company, before returning to the UK in 2016 to join the tastings team at Decanter.