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GLOBALTRADITIONS

This holiday season, take a seat at our table to hear winemakers from our global family share their own holiday traditions. We celebrate the many ways people mark the holidays around the world - and the sparkling wines that make the season more bright.

WINEMAKING DIRECTOR (CHANDON CALIFORNIA)

PAULINE LHOTE

WINEMAKING DIRECTOR (CHANDON CALIFORNIA)

PAULINE LHOTE

Like most kids, my favorite holiday memory was the joy of waking up on Christmas Day to see what Santa brought me and my two brothers. Today the holidays are all about another chance to gather with the whole family. 

 

We have a large family — about 50 of us — that reunites every other year. We rent a space and join together in preparing for the celebration, decorating and, of course, bringing wine and food. It's a day filled with eating, drinking, playing games, and just spending time together. 

 

It’s fun to bring our kids and continue this tradition of reuniting four generations together all in one place. For me, spending time with family is the essence of the holidays.

 

I’m originally from Champagne, France, so wine is a major part of the holidays for us. We start holiday meals with a toast and include a pairing with each course. My favorite sparkling for the season is a Blanc de blancs, so Chandon By The Bay is the perfect fit.


"IT'S FUN TO BRING

OUR KIDS

AND CONTINUE THIS TRADITION OF REUNITING FOUR GENERATIONS TOGETHER ALL IN ONE PLACE"

WINEMAKING DIRECTOR (CHANDON AUSTRALIA)

DAN BUCKLE


Holidays in Australia are all about summer and the beach. My family’s been going to the same seaside town on Victoria’s surf coast for five generations now. 

 

Our holiday scene is filled with the surf, beaches, and sand dunes. It’s all about the ocean salt in our hair, the smell of sunscreen, and driving with the windows down. These have been my holiday memories for most of my life, and now they’re the memories my kids are making, too. 


There’s an old pier at Queenscliff, and jumping off it is a treasured family tradition. The jump can be a little scary for the small kids at first, but they gradually can get higher and higher up the structure as they get bigger, and watching them grow is the best part.

 

It's no secret that Chandon wines go really well with a huge range of foods, but a favorite holiday pleasure is enjoying our Chandon Vintage Blanc de Blancs paired with local scallops, cooked on the grill, surrounded by family. That’s the holidays.




"HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRALIA

ARE ALL ABOUT

SUMMER AND THE BEACH"

CHIEF WINEMAKER (CHANDON BRAZIL)

PHILIPPE MÉVEL

CHIEF WINEMAKER (CHANDON BRAZIL)

PHILIPPE MÉVEL

I was born in France, but I've been living in Brazil for more than 20 years. My favorite childhood holiday memory back in France was getting together to put up the Christmas tree and nativity scene on my parents’ farm. 

 

Now my family and I spend our holidays in the Serra Gaúcha region, where the Chandon winery is. It’s summer here this time of year, and the holiday season is the perfect time to get together with friends and family around the beach. (And have a bottle of Chandon.)

 

One favorite local tradition for the New Year is eating lentils and meat from animals that only walk forward (so we can look to the future with optimism). We also enjoy the traditional midnight sea bath. We typically jump seven waves on the beach — one wave equals one wish for the year to come. 

 

With all your family members sitting around the table to celebrate the holidays, is there any better moment to have sparkling wine? Just like Chandon, everyone is welcome at our table. My favorite sparkling wine for the holidays (and also Brazilian summer) is Chandon Passion served with an ice cube. It’s summer in a glass. 


"WITH ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS SITTING AROUND THE TABLE TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS, IS THERE ANY BETTER MOMENT

TO HAVE

SPARKLING WINE?"

OPERATIONS WINEMAKER (CHANDON CHINA)

ALAN LIU


Our “holiday season” is Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival. It occurs on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar and falls on a different date each year — next on February 1, 2022. It is our most important traditional festival.

 

Many people clean their homes to welcome the Spring Festival. They put up red posters with poetic verses on their doors, Chinese New Year pictures on their walls, and decorate their homes with red lanterns.

 

The night of the Spring Festival Eve, many set off fireworks, hoping to cast away any bad luck in the new year, and children often receive “lucky money.” Traditions like beating drums and striking gongs, and dragon and lion dances are all part of the festivities.

 

Chinese New Year is a time for reuniting with family and friends, the most important part of the celebration. People drink wine together and celebrate the festive atmosphere.

 

My favorite sparkling for the holiday is Chandon Xi, since it’s a red sparkling wine, and red is the color of luck in our culture. Its slightly sweet bubbles marry perfectly with the rich flavors of Chinese cuisine.





"TRADITIONS LIKE BEATING DRUMS AND STRIKING GONGS, AND DRAGON AND LION DANCES

ARE ALL

PART OF THE FESTIVITIES."


ASSOCIATE WINEMAKER (CHANDON CALIFORNIA)

LAURA FONTAINE

ASSOCIATE WINEMAKER (CHANDON CALIFORNIA)

LAURA FONTAINE

The best memories I have from the Holiday season happened around our kitchen table. One of my grandmothers grew up in Tunisia and one in Alsace (part of France close to Germany), and growing up I learned how to bake traditional biscuits and desserts from these very different places! The holidays were also a time to learn about our family history and traditions. 

 

My dad grew up in the south of France in Provence, and a Catholic tradition from the region we always follow is to have 13 desserts on the table on Christmas Day. These represent Jesus and the 12 disciples at the Last Supper. Our desserts include dates with Marzipan, Calissons, biscuits, fruit pastes, fresh fruits ... a little of everything!

 

Wine has always been at the center of our holiday season. It’s a time where I can dive into my dad’s cellar and pick anything I want! I ask him about the story of the wine, how he got the bottle, and the memories associated with it. My personal favorite sparkling wine for the holidays is étoile, obviously! It goes with a lot of holiday foods. Brut or Rosé … pick your favorite.



"THE BEST MEMORIES I HAVE FROM THE HOLIDAY SEASON HAPPENED

AROUND OUR

KITCHEN TABLE."