Watch the Olympics from Colorado in French style

Our guide to feeling Parisian without leaving our great state

By the Thirst Team

All eyes are on France this week. A historic Tour de France finished yesterday, and the Paris Olympics opens Friday. Whether you are hosting a watch party or just want a taste of Paris while you watch all the events, here is our guide to Colorado-crafted French products and experiences.

Watch the Olympics with French friends

The Alliance Française Denver will watch the Olympic opening ceremony (Cérémonie d'Ouverture) live at Rino Beer Garden. The watch party starts at 11 a.m. Friday.

The international Alliance Française is a cultural and educational center that launched in Paris in 1883, and now has more than 800 chapters. The Denver branch dates to 1897. 

Drink Colorado-crafted French wine

Plenty of Colorado wineries make excellent French wine styles including pinot noir and sauvignon blanc. Maison la Belle Vie Winery in central Palisade really leans into the French wine experience, with a rustic tasting room, a beautiful patio and, of course, French-style wines (note the fleur de lis on each bottle label).

On the hills above Palisade, Colorado Cellars also feels like an escape to the French countryside. Visit the tasting room to learn about their painstaking methods of recreating true French champagne.

Drink Colorado-crafted French beer

Colorado brewers also are adopting French traditions. Denver’s Diebolt Brewing put the Eiffel Tower on its cans of Anton Francois French Amber Ale, making it perfect for an Olympic watch party. 

And plenty of Colorado breweries have their take on Biere de Garde, a farmhouse-style brew from northern France. If you want to cheat just a bit, crack open a saison. The style originated over the border in the French-speaking part of Belgium.

Dine out Parisian style

Of course, Colorado also has no shortage of fine French cuisine. It’s hard to pick one, so we went with three, but that only scratches the surface. 

Team Thirst just experienced the fantastic French bistro-style food at Marigold Cafe and Bakery in Colorado Springs. Bistro Vendome in Park Hill delivers delicious Left Bank-style ambience and food. 

And The French Alpine Bistro and Creperie Du Village in Aspen has earned global accolades. 

Eat authentic French bread

Experienced travelers know brie and a fresh baguette from a neighborhood bakery make for a perfect lunch in Paris. Colorado residents can recreate the experience at King Soopers, of all places. The chain grocery store near the Castle Rock outlet mall has the first bakery in the United States that imports pastries and baguette dough from Boulangerie Maison Kayser in Paris.