French-British Marinette Diafouka, who lives in The Hague and acquired her own champagne brand La Maison Guilhem, was an interior designer in London until she decided to take a professional break in 2011 after the birth of her second child. In 2012, she studied as a pastry chef to pursue her interest in French haute patisserie and then built a company around her passion for fine dining and teaching culinary classes from her home. “I quit my job as an interior designer and decided to focus my life on cooking and baking. I made beautiful cakes and pastries for special occasions and hosted a range of cooking classes. It was a joyful time in London, and I certainly didn’t want to leave.”

Then in 2018, Brexit threw a spanner in the works, resulting in relocation from London to The Hague. Devastated to leave London but recognising that The Hague offered her children a safe environment, a good quality of life, and proximity to France, Marinette enrolled her children into the European School and started to explore the potential of her new home city. Whilst London was the perfect place to pursue culinary interests, she was unsure what The Hague could offer, until a trip to visit her family in the Champagne region (near Reims) sparked an idea. It was her husband who suggested champagne as a business enterprise. Her summer holidays as a student were spent picking grapes in the South of France, and her familiarity with both the Occitanie and Champagne regions meant that wine and champagne were certainly not foreign to Marinette. But it had never crossed her mind that she might launch her own label one day.

Beyond the bubbles

Acquiring a champagne brand is an arduous bureaucratic process. It took almost a year to complete the paperwork and get approval from the committee in Champagne. Marinette created La Maison Guilhem and the collaboration with her friends and champagne producers began. The champagne from Verzenay is renowned since it is a small village with a Grand Cru reputation thanks to the rich terroir and quality of the grapes. Traditional fermentation methods that have been perfected over centuries are essential; the grapes must be cut by hand and pressing requires precision. Marinette animatedly describes, in detail, the fermentation and production process and it is clear that the tastes and flavours are important to her. “I love this drink, but more than that, I love the process.”

“Currently, we have two types of champagne: our exclusive and numbered bottles of MCMXXV Millesime 2015, mineral and fresh after a 36-month fermentation period, and the MCMXXV blanc de blancs that is 100% chardonnay! The third champagne, coming in September, will be a rosé, and in 2025 we will embark on very exciting collaborations that I can’t wait to reveal!”

Contagious

Her enthusiasm is contagious at the wine-tasting events and intimate gatherings she curates. Her eyes light up while describing the production process, and her hands demonstrate the careful pressing action of the Pinot Noir grape that produces her champagne. Her admiration for the wine-making tradition and respect for the handcrafting process is genuine.

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Her events showcase La Maison Guilhem MCMXXV champagnes and the wines she imports from a few regional producers located in the Occitanie region in the South of France. Combined with perfect food pairings and Marinette’s animated storytelling, La Maison Guilhem’s MCMXXV champagnes have become popular in The Hague. The production of Marinette’s label remains limited to keep the quality high, while honouring traditional production methods, and there are few distribution points in favour of retaining such an authentic relationship with the customer (including trips to the region).

The journey of interior designer to chef, wine importer to champagne owner reflects an ability for reinvention and a desire to follow a creative drive. Living life to the fullest resonates with Marinette, who firmly believes champagne can be enjoyed any time. As a lover of the philosophy and art of the Art Deco movement from the Roaring Twenties, Marinette aspires to convey some of that joie de vivre through her label. “Where I come from, we don’t save champagne for special occasions. There is no need to wait for a special event to drink champagne. It’s the perfect choice to celebrate life any day.”

www.lamaisonguilhem.com