Courtesy of Maison Bukana
At any occasion, the selection of Maison Bukana Wines are great bottles to bring. Nadine Lustre, Christophe Bariou, and their team are proud to showcase their passion for the craft of wine at their launch in Kondwi, Poblacion.
Between the ocean and river mangroves of Siargao sits a strip of land housing the Maison Bukana resort. A project by businessman Christophe Bariou’s family, the luxury villas are where the best of French and Filipino cultures meet.
This brand of excellence inspired him and his partner, actress Nadine Lustre, to venture into making the Maison Bukana Wines selection. At the brand’s press launch in Kondwi Poblacion last October 16, Bariou shared the story behind the Maison Bukana name. “Maison translates to ‘house’ in French but it also means quality, something that is an institution. Bukana comes from the local dialect, which means ‘the place where the river and ocean meet,’” he said. “Our place is physically between the river and the sea, it’s where different points of view meet to create something bigger. So, it makes sense that we name the wine brand after the resort because it is us bringing the best of France to the Philippines.” With the wines, their team proudly pairs French wine culture with Filipino craft, evident from the label on their bottle to the flavors in each glass.
At the launch, Lustre also talked about their journey into winemaking. At first, Lustre loved wine as a casual drinker, but her holiday visits to French vineyards helped her truly appreciate the craftsmanship behind each bottle. And when a good friend of Bariou’s approached the two with the idea to create their own brand, they naturally said yes. “I never realized [making wine] was that intricate, but those are the things that I like. The [art of winemaking] is a long process,” she admitted, looking back on how much she had learned from their journey developing their product.
“This project is important to me since I partnered with people that I truly love, people that I consider not only as partners, but as an actual family,” said Jerôme Poissoner, President of Maison Bukana Wines. “Working with Nadine, Chris, & Mike [Reyes] has been, and still is, so far the most exciting business venture I’ve been involved with in my life,” he added.
On their team, Lustre and Bariou take care of the creative vision and quality that is at the core of the Maison Bukana identity. Talking about the direction they charted for Maison Bukana, business partner Mike Reyes said, “Breathing life into [Nadine and Christophe’s] vision became our shared aspiration, uniting us with a common purpose.”
As Lustre and Bariou invited wine enthusiasts and curious tasters to have a sip of their wines at the launch, Lustre shared with Vogue that among the three varieties, she has a fondness for the rosé and white wines because they remind her of relaxing days under the Siargao sun. When asked about recommendations for wines to bring during a dinner party, she picked the Maison Bukana white wine, which she thinks is perfect to have over dinner conversations. Bariou’s pick, on the other hand, would be the Maison Bukana red wine, as he believes that its richness is perfect to pair along with food.
Regardless of the variety picked, Bariou believes that any from their selection is great to bring to any occasion. “It’s the result of decades and centuries of craftsmanship that you can actually taste,” he said.
Currently, Maison Bukana wines are available to order on Boozy.com/collections/maison-bukana.
