Gaderian Wines co-owner and Olympic swimming legend Natalie Coughlin Hall is back at the Olympics in 2024, this time working as a new board member of USA Swimming and as an analyst for NBC.
Coughlin Hall, who grew up visiting wine country with her parents, was 19 and a student-athlete at U.C. Berkeley when she became the first woman to break the 1-minute barrier in the 100-meter backstroke, an event she would dominate for a decade, winning gold at both the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games; her 12 Olympic medals tied her with swimmer Jenny Thompson’s as the most by any female American athlete—for now.
The California swimming legend, who's also published a memoir (Golden Girl, 2006) and a cookbook (Cook to Thrive, 2019), co-founded Napa’s Gaderian Wines in 2017 with winemaker Shaina Harding, who now also makes the wines at Napa’s Boeschen Vineyards in St. Helena.
Coughlin Hall will be due back in Napa for harvest, but right now she’s cheering on her fellow Americans in Paris.
“I’m in Paris on the way to the swim venue right now, which is so exciting,” Coughlin Hall told Wine Spectator on the first day of the Paris 2024 Olympics swimming competition. “Ryan Murphy is one of my former Cal teammates, and so I’m going to be cheering like hell for him in the medley relay and backstroke events.
”On the women’s side, I’m really excited by the Walsh sisters and Kate Douglass. They are super versatile, strong women who have had a lot of momentum heading into these Games. Also, Katie Ledecky is such a badass and going to break my record for most decorated female American Olympian for sure!
”When I get home I’ll celebrate the American successes with our Gaderian blanc de noirs. It’s the perfect celebratory sparkle-y wine for a French Olympics.”
And for those keeping track of the medal count, Ledecky remains on pace to break Coughlin Hall’s record later this week after taking the bronze in the 400-meter freestyle, and Coughlin Hall’s former teammate Murphy also took bronze today in the 100-meter backstroke, remaining on pace to break a record of his own, as the first athlete to ever medal in both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke at three consecutive Olympics.
Coughlin Hall surely won’t be the only one splashing some bubbles after making a splash in Paris.
Enjoy Unfiltered? The best of Unfiltered’s round-up of drinks in pop culture can now be delivered straight to your inbox every other week! Sign up now to receive the Unfiltered e-mail newsletter, featuring the latest scoop on how wine intersects with film, TV, music, sports, politics and more.
