A Champagne CEO Spills About Holiday Season Sustainability

This holiday season, toast with bubbles that sparkle for the planet as much as the palate. We sat down with Ludovic du Plessis, CEO of Telmont, the century-old Champagne House newly in Canada and on a mission to redefine luxury through radical sustainability. From ditching unnecessary gift boxes to using the region’s lightest bottles and pledging Climate Positive status by 2030, Telmont is proving that exceptional fizz and environmental responsibility can—and should—go hand in hand. Read on to learn how tradition meets transformation in every glass, and why your next celebration might be the most eco-friendly one yet. —Noa Nichol

The holidays are all about toasts—how does Telmont marry that celebratory spirit with your sustainability commitments so Canadians can feel good about every glass they raise—literally and ethically?

We believe celebration should never come at the expense of our planet. At Telmont, we raise our glasses to Mother Nature. Our entire mission is to craft exceptional Champagne while showing the utmost respect for the environment. That’s why we are taking concrete action to reduce our carbon footprint, with the ambition of reaching Net Zero by 2050 – while remaining humble on the journey. This means embedding eco-design across our operations and eliminating gift boxes and reducing the weight of our bottles, sourcing 100% of our electricity from renewable energy, and converting all vineyard machinery from diesel to biofuels. Since halting air freight in 2021, we have gone a step further: starting in 2025, we export a portion of our bottles to North America by cargo sail ship, in partnership with the Nantes-based company Neoline. Each voyage of this wind-powered vessel reduces CO₂ emissions by 80% compared to a traditional ship of the same size.

We have taken fundamental steps to preserve our terroir and its biodiversity, converting our vineyards to organic and regenerative viticulture – with 70% already certified or in the process of conversion in 2025. With Telmont, Canadians can toast with confidence.

You’ve eliminated gift boxes and slimmed bottles to reduce waste—what surprised you most about how consumers reacted to pared-back packaging when Telmont first rolled these changes out?

When we removed gift boxes in 2021 and introduced lighter bottles in 2025, the response was overwhelmingly positive. These decisions resonated strongly with consumers who are increasingly mindful of their environmental footprint. Our consumers recognized authenticity in simplicity: at Telmont, we like to say: “the best gift box is no gift box”! After all, we make Champagne, not limited-edition cardboard. Many shared that they valued the honesty of seeing the bottle unadorned, a symbol that luxury today can be both beautiful AND responsible. The industry also took notice. In 2023, at the Global Wine Masters organized by Drinks Business Magazine, Telmont was awarded a Gold Medal in the newly created “Design & Packaging” category for our Réserve de la Terre cuvée and our decision to eliminate packaging. In 2025, our 800g lightweight bottle has won the “Green Packaging Initiative of the Year” award at the Global Drinks Intel ESG Awards and the “Green Packaging of the Year” at the Drinks Business Asia Green Awards. Our hope is that, by prioritizing sustainability, we set new standards for the wine and spirits sector and inspire meaningful change across the industry.

For gift guides and festive tables: which Telmont cuvée pairs best with classic holiday dishes, and do you have a sustainable-serving tip (glassware, temp, or a zero-waste garnish) to share?

Telmont’s Réserve de la Terre, our manifesto and 100% organic cuvée, is the ultimate winter holiday pairing. Its vibrant freshness and refined structure complement everything from roasted turkey to rich seafood dishes, bringing a pure expression of terroir to the season’s most cherished meals. For a sustainable touch, we suggest incorporating fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, ideally organic and sourced locally, into your garnishes or side dishes. To embrace a true zero-waste spirit, repurpose every element: use citrus zest after juicing, transform leftover herbs into infusions, or roast vegetable trimmings for broths. Zero waste, pure gourmandise.

Telmont aims to be Climate Positive by 2030—what are two concrete changes guests will notice in the bottle or tasting notes today that reflect that long-term vision?

One change you can already taste is the purity and quality of organic grapes. Today, we’re fully committed to converting and certifying 100% of our vineyards to organic and regenerative viticulture and you can truly taste the difference in the glass. Our organic cuvées, “Reserve de la Terre”, crafted without herbicides or synthetic pesticides, fungicides, or fertilizers, are radiant, vibrant, and pure expressions of our terroir. We like to call them our “Happy Wines”: living, joyful Champagnes that capture the spirit of nature and the promise of what organic viticulture can achieve. And as Leonardo Dicaprio, investor in Maison Telmont, said: “With this new cuvée Réserve de la Terre, Telmont demonstrates the benefits of organic farming for the soil, the winegrowers, and the wine itself. This new cuvée is full of emotion, it captures light and life. It’s the taste of the future.”

With Canada now part of Telmont’s footprint and high-profile supporters like Leonardo DiCaprio backing your mission, how do you see conscious luxury reshaping holiday gifting and celebrations over the next five years?

We see conscious luxury becoming the new standard. In our vision, over the next five years, gifting will shift away from excess toward meaning: fewer objects, more intention. A bottle of champagne that embodies sustainability is a gesture of care for both recipient and planet. In this way, conscious luxury will redefine celebrations, marrying indulgence with responsibility, and proving that true festivity leaves nothing behind but memories. Never forget that the wine is good is the earth is beautiful!