The Ultimate Luxury Gift Guide: The Best from France

Looking for the perfect gift for someone who really loves Paris, and all things French? Perhaps someone who’s hooked on Emily in Paris and looking to keep that buzz going? For the Francophiles on your luxury gift list, we’ve got more than a dozen ideas to help get you started. Our correspondent Jeanette Settembre has curated our ultimate luxury holiday gift guide for Francophiles, with the best gifts and brands from France, for those who love Paris and all things French. If they cannot travel to France this year, you can help bring the joie de vivre home to them.

the best luxury holiday gifts from France and French brands

The pandemic has made it impossible for Americans to passport to Paris this year. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring the City of Light home for yourself, or as a gift for person in your life who dreams of all things French. 

Our ultimate luxury gift guide to the best from France focuses on bringing the essence of Paris (or Lyon, or St. Tropez) to your cultured Francophile friends and family members. So for those times when they’re longing for it, they’ll always have (a bit) of Paris.

The Ultimate Luxury Gift Guide: The Best from France

Savor these foods, wines and luxuries tailored for Francophiles everywhere. 

1. French Bread, Wine and cheese

wine and champagne

Transport your taste buds to silky smooth Bordeaux paradise one slow sip at a time (trust us, you’ll want to savor this bottle). This Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2016 vintage ($899.97) is said to have notes of blackcurrant, raspberries and melted chocolate for a full-bodied sip.

Red wine lovers looking for a more accessible sip may opt for French winemaker Gerard Bertrand’s Grand Terroir Les Aspres 2016 ($19.99), a blend of syrah, mourvèdre and grenache grapes that hails from the Rhone region of France. 

Nothing is more French than a crisp glass of Champagne, so consider the gift of a bottle of Taittinger Brut La Francaise ($28), a blend of nearly 30 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes.  

cheese

To accompany these lovely wines, say ‘Oui,’ to this brie. This decadent Truffle Brie de Meaux imported from France can be found at Murray’s Cheese Shop. The buttery wheel is stuffed with a thick layer of creamy black truffle mascarpone for an explosion of flavor. Take in the hints of olive oil and mushroom. It pairs perfectly with a glass of Champagne! 

a crusty loaf

Finally, bread is essential to joie de vivre, if you ask us. The French bakery Poilâne® is famous for its signature loaf, made of only 4 ingredients: sourdough, stone-ground wheat flour, water, and sea salt from Guérande. The round loaf has a thick, golden crust, and each one carries the signature “P.” Order online for delivery in the US.

2. Food for thought: books about French food and drink

Bread and Bordeaux

Winemakers Éric and Saskia de Rothschild give readers a taste of their family’s rich wine history at Château Lafite dating back to 1868 in “Château Lafite: The Almanac” ($148.26, available Dec. 1). The wine estate Lafite, a prominent wine-producing chateaux of Bordeaux  in France, has been owned by members of the Rothschild family since the 19th century. And it has continued to be one of the leading producers of the world’s most expensive red wines ever since. 

You’ll want to spend some time devouring this chronology, perhaps, with a glass of Bordeaux in hand. “The Almanac” features 150 vintages with informative tasting notes and explains to vinophiles the grape blends behind each vintage and the ideal climate for growing them. 

Bien Cuit Bakery in Brooklyn takes its name from the French phrase for “well done.” It’s a reference to the crusts that have become baker Zachary Golper’s trademark. Golper, who staged in the Loire Valley, is known for rustic loaves, such as the signature miche (which is fermented up to 68 hours). Bien Cuit: The Art of Bread, first published in 2015, chronicles the journey Golper took toward a new approach to  baking bread.

Americans in Paris and Lyon

On a lighter note, get a taste of an American’s journey opening up one of the first-ever diners in Paris, Breakfast in America. New York Times best-selling author Craig Carlson, who chronicled his journey cooking up a business overseas in Pancakes in Paris, gives readers and eaters a second helping with his new book Let them Eat Pancakes ($18.99).

Earlier this year, noted food writer Bill Buford published Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking. It’s his self-effacing journal of a 5-year odyssey in which he commits to learning how to be a French chef. With his wife and three-year-old twin sons in tow, he travels to Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, studying at L’Institut Bocuse. What could possibly go wrong?

3. Le Dessert 

There’s nothing like hot chocolate at the famous bakery Angelina, known for its pastries and chocolates. But if you can’t make it to the storied confectionaire that’s been around since 1903, order up a taste of it. Indulge in the rich Les Emblematiques ($23.32) gift box with hot chocolate, chestnut cream — a signature ingredient in Angelina’s pastry the Mount Blanc —  and crispy crepes, a biscuit covered with dark chocolate. 

Those with Champagne tastes may consider popping open an assortment of Champagne truffles from French pastry chef Jaques Torres (24 pieces for $55). The cork-shaped candies come in a decadent combination of creamy Belgian milk chocolate, fresh cream and Taittinger Brut La Francaise Champagne. (Yes, these truffles contain actual Champagne). 

4. Fragrance and Beauty

There’s something irresistible about French beauty products. It must be the effortless cool and bien dans sa peau (well in one’s skin) that they convey.

Make seasons bright in your home — and smelling chic with an assortment of mini Diptyque Paris candles and beauty products. The French fragrance house known for its candles and perfumes has its annual candle advent calendar dressed like a gift you won’t want to give away.  The Diptyque Advent Calendar ($410) features 25 gifts, including 11 scented candles in Diptyque scents like Mimosa and Baies, perfumes, shower oils and an exfoliating body scrub. 

Opt for sexier scents with Carine Roittfeld’s collection of perfumes. She crafted the line with Tom Ford, inspired by fantasies the iconic French editor dreamt up in several of her favorite cities. The Wong Kar-Wai ($285), a floral and woodsy scent with notes of Longing tea, fruity Osmanthus and earthy Vetiver is named after the film director Wong Kar-Wai. Roittfeld says it exemplifies the true spirit of Hong Kong. 

For a cool-chic French beauty tool you cannot do better than the Fraîcheur Ice Globe ($89.99). They give you a cryotherapy facial at home:  as blood rushes to the skin, you get help to rejuvenate and tighten. And they come in fun colors – so you’re sure to find one to match your mood and your home décor.

Complete your French beauty routine with a signature red lip, in YSL’s satin lipstick in Le Rogue. ($38).

5. Chic French Fashion

French cashmere brand (and cult favorite amongst the fashion crowd) Eric Bompard has a new capsule collection with Vincent Darré. The Tartan and books print silk square ($111) can be worn around the neck or head for a Grace Kelly-style silhouette.

Pair it with a Saint James Breton striped shirt in soft cotton in a classic white and royal blue ($85).

6. Viewing party 

The glamor of Cannes. Belle du Jour. Amelie. French cinema has long been notable for its influence on global culture.

The title of this 2016 rom-com is the perfect 2020 epitaph for anyone who has had to postpone or cancel their trip to the City of Love. “Paris Can Wait,” starring Diane Lane, follows her character Anne, who is married to a successful movie producer (Alec Baldwin) and finds herself at a — you guessed it —  crossroads in her life. She takes a trip from Cannes to Paris with her husband’s business partner (Arnaud Viard) and embarks on a care-free road trip you won’t want to miss. So maybe it isn’t Oscar-worthy, but hey, who doesn’t want to envision themselves taking a scenic ride through Cannes? 

The Ultimate Luxury Gift Guide: The Best from France

C’est tout! Our luxury holiday gift guide of the best from France and French luxury brands for all the Francophiles out there. There are so many reasons to love Paris. Whether the Francophile in your circle has only been there once or has a pied-à-terre in the 6th Arrondissement, these gifts will let them fall in love with it all over again.

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This article contains affiliate links to products independently selected by our editors. As an Amazon Associate, Dandelion Chandelier receives a commission for qualifying purchases made through these links. 

Jeanette Settembre is a New York City features writer and editor specializing in lifestyle, food, and travel. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, WSJ Magazine and Architectural Digest, among many other publications. Jeanette started her career in journalism as a features reporter for the New York Daily News, where she edited Entertainment and wrote the Sunday food column “Eats Beat.”

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