• Maison Tchin Tchin scented candles, marketed since the end of last year, have just received the “Remarkable Initiative 2021” label.

  • Former wine merchant, Guillaume Etienne, 34, offers eight different scents.

At aperitif time, are you more of a Merlot, Syrah or Chardonnay?

On the Maison Tchin Tchin menu, the aromas of these wines are found in a glass… but it is not to drink.

The typical notes of these grape varieties are concentrated in bouquets in wax, ready to be consumed.

Guillaume Etienne's bet to offer an original range of scented candles (€ 40 for 250g) with the fragrances of eight beverages hit the mark.

His creations, marketed since the end of last year, have even just received the “Remarkable Initiative 2021” label.

Wine merchant for five years

Awarded by Initiative France, an associative network supporting entrepreneurs, it notably praises a project never before seen.

“I found myself searching without success for original candles to give to my wife.

So I wanted to innovate, ”says this native Auvergnat who has been living in Nice for six years.

A former student in economics and psychology, Guillaume Etienne, 34, was mainly a wine merchant for five years.

And it was there that he discovered wine, “late in the day”.

"The idea was not at all to design room fragrances that smell of a well-structured red or, worse, vinegar," he warns.

I went to meet perfumers in Grasse, Switzerland and Paris.

It took nearly fifteen months to develop the formulas that tell what is happening in each grape variety.

"

Green tea, sandalwood and cherry

Blackcurrant bud, grapefruit, green tea, ivy, Haitian vetiver and white musks make up Sauvignon candle, for example.

Extracts of cherry, blackcurrant, star anise, violet, patchouli, sandalwood and vanilla are included in the one reminiscent of Pinot noir.

The “Remarkable Initiative 2021” label also recognizes the “sustainable development” dimension of Maison Tchin Tchin.

Based in a workshop in Saint-André-de-la Roche, on the outskirts of Nice, Guillaume Etienne uses European soy wax for his candles and pours them into recycled glass containers modeled on site.

"I wanted to offer my own product, from A to Z", concludes the young man who has converted into a perfume designer and craftsman wax-maker.

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