Not long ago, skipping alcohol at a party meant holding a sad glass of sparkling water or juice all night. Constance Jablonski and Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger set out to change that when they founded the premium non-alcoholic sparkling wine brand French Bloom.
Frerejean-Taittinger was pregnant with twins in 2019. She began to notice how it felt to sit outside the moment at a restaurant or a social gathering with friends and colleagues.
She brought the idea to Jablonski, a top model and her friend since 2008. The two found no premium non-alcoholic sparkling option that avoided heavy sugar. After a year of 70 tests and recipes, they launched French Bloom in 2021. The range has earned strong reviews worldwide, including in France, where wine drinkers are hard to impress. LVMH has since acquired the brand.
The range now includes four sparkling cuvées: Le Blanc Essential, Le Rosé, L’Extra Brut and La Cuvée Vintage 2023. To mark the brand’s fifth birthday, French Bloom hosted a party on Belmond’s Celia carriage. The British Pullman was designed by Baz Luhrmann and costume designer Catherine Martin. We asked both founders how they host a party where every guest can raise a glass, whatever they choose to drink.
Planning versus spontaneity
Both founders admit to planning obsessively. Jablonski describes herself as a perfectionist who wants guests to have a good time, though the event does not need to be grand. Frerejean-Taittinger agrees. She enjoys choosing the menu, the table, the flowers and a chilled non-alcoholic sparkling wine in advance.
Her aim is to look unhurried when guests walk through the door. In her view, the best evenings are the ones where no one can tell how much work went into them.
Cooking, or not
Jablonski says she rarely cooks. She orders in, relying on the abundance of épiceries and small restaurants in Paris and other large cities. Frerejean-Taittinger cooks for family and friends, but she will hand off a course without guilt. She sees knowing when not to cook as a core hosting skill.
Frerejean-Taittinger’s signature is a roast chicken, the centrepiece of Sunday lunch in Paris. She serves it with roast potatoes, a green salad and a good bottle of wine. Jablonski follows a similar ritual. She buys a roast chicken and potatoes from the rôtisserie downstairs from her home and makes the salad herself.
If the roast chicken has you dreaming of a Parisian table, Bleecker Street café with French elegance offers a taste of that same bistro charm.
Pouring non-alcoholic sparkling wine for both camps
Jablonski keeps both options on hand. Friends who enjoy alcohol get wine, and friends who never drink get a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling wine from French Bloom. Giving everyone a choice is the idea behind the brand.
Frerejean-Taittinger, whose husband makes Champagne, has always preferred sparkling wine on arrival. She calls her customers and herself “flexi-drinkers.” She recently moved to the United States to build the market there, and she sees a clear contrast with France. French guests often start with French Bloom and save the wine for dinner, because in France wine belongs to the meal. In the US, she says, many guests begin with an alcoholic drink and then switch to French Bloom, a non-alcoholic sparkling wine, to drink more moderately without giving up quality.
The menu
Frerejean-Taittinger starts with simple crudités, such as radishes and butter, so guests can stay on the sofa with their drinks. She then moves straight to the main course. Her choice is roast chicken or a simple fish with seasonal vegetables, potatoes and a green salad. She skips the cheese and finishes with a chocolate dessert, which she calls non-negotiable.
Jablonski leans toward Greek food. She serves a light tomato salad, stuffed vine leaves and artichokes in olive oil, with a glass of chilled non-alcoholic sparkling wine for the toast. Her main course is fish cooked en papillote, sealed in paper with spices and plenty of vegetables. For dessert, she puts out a box of good chocolates.
Music, guests and conversation
Frerejean-Taittinger wants music that sets the mood without drowning out talk, saving the energy for later in the night. Her playlist includes Olivia Dean, Anderson .Paak, Ayra Starr and Cleo Sol. Her dream guest is Stanley Tucci, whom she describes as someone who loves food, wine and conversation and who can talk with anyone.
Jablonski would invite a stand-up comedian. She names Haroun, Caroline Vigneaux and Panayotis as favourites. Comedians, she argues, make good conversationalists and ease tension around sensitive subjects such as politics.
What hosts and guests should avoid
Jablonski says hosts should never talk politics. Frerejean-Taittinger studied political science and says the US midterm campaigns feel especially polarised. She adds that a host should never spend the evening in the kitchen. Guests, she says, should avoid staring at their phones, because a dinner is an invitation to be present.
For another take on hosting a lively crowd where drinks are part of the fun, East London pétanque and Basque social venue shows how a relaxed evening can be built around conversation and good plates.
The secret to a good evening
Jablonski points to the mix of people. A group that gets along and enjoys getting to know each other makes the night. Frerejean-Taittinger chooses a single word: generosity. Generous food, generous pours and generous conversation leave guests feeling full in every sense. The best dinners, she says, are not the most elaborate. They are the ones where guests feel welcome enough that nobody wants to leave. As she puts it, it does not have to be caviar and Krug.
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Frequently asked questions
Who founded the non-alcoholic sparkling wine brand French Bloom?
French Bloom was founded by Constance Jablonski and Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger. The brand is a premium non-alcoholic sparkling wine label.
When did French Bloom launch, and how was it developed?
French Bloom launched in 2021, after the founders spent a year running 70 tests and recipes. They wanted a premium non-alcoholic sparkling option that avoided heavy sugar.
What sparkling wines does the French Bloom range include?
The French Bloom range includes four sparkling cuvées: Le Blanc Essential, Le Rosé, L’Extra Brut and La Cuvée Vintage 2023.
What is Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger’s signature dish for hosting guests?
Her signature is a roast chicken, served with roast potatoes, a green salad and a good bottle of wine. She considers it the centrepiece of a Sunday lunch in Paris.
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