NEW YORK – On a hot day in France’s Provence region last September, former National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Tony Parker was picking grapes at Chateau La Mascaronne intended for its rose. Then he sat down with the vineyard crew for the regular harvest lunch.

“I felt like a rookie. I’m hands-on, and I love to be part of that tradition,” he said of the experience, while sipping the chateau’s just-released Grande Reserve rose 2022 at the New York City restaurant Benoit, before adding that he “worked hard enough to realise my back was hurting”.