Moët & Chandon is rebooting one of its decades-long partnerships.
The LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned Champagne brand will be a sponsor of the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, marking the partnership’s 35th iteration.
“There are relationships that happen because they are transactional in nature, and people sponsoring things to gain attention or awareness,” said Chris Gabaldon, chief executive officer of Moët Hennessy North America, in an interview. He reasoned that the relationship between Moët & Chandon and the Golden Globes was different. “This relationship goes back 35 years, and is a true partnership that’s been around for a couple of generations now. It’s actually a very meaningful and special part of what we do.”
The reasoning behind it is manifold. “It obviously kicks off the year for cinema and for the arts. It’s something that’s been planned for, it’s a great moment of celebration. For us, it sets the tone.
“When I go back and look at the history of it, and you look at how many people have raised a glass, celebrated a moment, had a moment together over a glass of Moët & Chandon at the Golden Globes, the history is just so rich and so deep with moments of success and celebration,” Gabaldon continued. “We think a lot about the past, the present and the future.”
For 2026, the sponsorship follows the awards’ own trajectory. “We think about how much the Golden Globes has emerged over time. It was certainly a cultural moment, but I think today it is a standout cultural moment,” Gabaldon said. “You have fashion, you have entertainment, you have arts, you have celebration. You have all of that coming together on a much bigger platform than it’s ever been. And it’s no longer about one particular moment in time — there’s a build-up to the Golden Globes. We’re lucky because social media will carry the story on for many weeks to come for us.”
Moët & Chandon at the Golden Globe Awards last January.
Getty Images for Moët & Chandon
As a part of the sponsorship, Moët & Chandon is sponsoring “Toast for a Cause” again, which means that every time a celebrity on the “Entertainment Tonight” platform raises a glass and makes a toast, Moët & Chandon will make a donation to their preferred charity. The company’s vending machine will also make a reappearance.
“It’s a fun, classic irreverent moment,” Gabaldon said. “And as [talent] get near the end of the red carpet, you’ll also see the Moët men. We’ve got beautiful, tailored men in their beautiful red Moët uniforms serving Champagne.”
Inside the festivities, there will be Champagne pairings to the menu curated by Chef Nobu. “For us, there’s always a lot of partnership opportunities, but we look for ones that match our core values, and those core values are around things like craftsmanship and savoir-faire,” he said. “When you take a brand like Moët & Chandon, which was founded in 1743, it’s a story of time, evolution and innovation. It’s culture in a bottle. When we think about all the moments that have been celebrated with a glass or bottle, we look for moments that have the same level of cultural impact.”
Case in point: it’s also the official Champagne of Formula 1 as part of parent LVMH’s global partnership with the iconic race series.
“Formula 1 is the most precise racing event in the world. When you think about the elements that go into the build of the car, the elegance of the track and the elegance of the event, Formula 1 has become a true cultural moment in sport. It’s not just about the race, it’s about the build-up. It’s about the storyline. It’s about the history of racing,” Gabaldon said.
That philosophy also extends to the U.S. Open, which he characterized as “an international stage for a global cultural moment or milestone that lasts for over two weeks in New York City, which we would all say is one of the top two or three cultural destinations in the world.”
Moët & Chandon is still the world’s most popular Champagne, Gabaldon said, as well as the most recognized. “But what we’re always looking for is that level of love and engagement and equity that’s built,” he said. “When you find partners that help find ways to build that equity, create moments and the way you do that is by finding moments that actually matter.”
Moët & Chandon at the Golden Globe Awards last year.
Getty Images for Moët & Chandon
As far as the attributes of the Champagne itself, “There’s multiple expressions of Moët & Chandon, so as we think about the build of this brand over time and what the next iterations of it are going to look like, we continue to build both the cultural relevancy and the quality of the product,” he said — and the Golden Globes present an opportunity to showcase that.
“Champagne is one of the most beautiful wines in the world, and I think people should enjoy Champagne not only in major celebration and in large celebration, but in minor celebration,” Gabaldon said. “It completely changes someone’s mood when you open a bottle of Champagne; you hear the pop, and you pour a glass of Moët & Chandon. People have this transformational moment where they just release, relax and smile. It’s about bringing those people together, and I think it’s more versatile than maybe it gets enough credit for today.”
