Meet Marine Fontana
An avid reader, Asian food lover, and the woman behind Château Canon Chaigneau. A Marseille native, Marine moved from Paris to Singapore in 2024 with her husband and two young children, drawn by both opportunity and a deep love for the region.
She arrived to grow the family wine business in Southeast Asia, but also found something unexpected for herself: tennis. Having never picked up a racket before moving here, Marine quickly discovered WITS, where she found a community of supportive women, a new passion, and a joyful reset from the pace of family life and business.
She hasn’t looked back since.
Q&A with Marine
Q: What surprised you most when you first arrived?
The efficiency, the cleanliness, the sense of safety, how genuinely welcoming Singapore is to families with young children. Coming from Paris (which I love, but still…), that was a beautiful surprise. And the greenery. I wasn't prepared for how lush and alive the city would feel. That got me immediately.
Q: What does a “normal” day look like for you (if that even exists)?
Ok so yes, no two days are the same. I try to wake up early, before the house does, to squeeze in some work or a workout, because the days fill up fast. Then it's the school run, and then work takes over: calls with France, shipments, emails, client meetings, the occasional lunch. Evenings are for the kids, school pick-up, pool time, being outside, and then once they're in bed, I'm often back at my laptop because of the time difference with Europe. The advantage of running your own business is flexibility. The disadvantage is that it never really stops. I've made peace with that.
Your experience with tennis & WITS
Q: When did you start playing tennis, and how did you get into it?
August 2024! When we joined the British Club it became almost impossible not to pick up a racket. My husband had played before and got back into it straight away. I had never touched one in my life. So I just… started. And here we are.
Q: Tell us about a favourite WITS memory (funny, chaotic, or proud moment)
There's one moment I still can't fully explain. I was at the net, the opposing player was serving, and somehow. I genuinely don't know what I was thinking, I hit the ball instead of my partner, who was supposed to receive. She turned around and shouted "No babe, NO!" The entire court burst out laughing, including the other team. I was absolutely mortified. I'm still mortified. But the way everyone just turned it into a shared moment of joy rather than awkwardness, that's WITS to me.
Q: What do you enjoy most about playing in WITS? The challenge, and the sense of belonging to something. I've never been part of a team in my life, it's never too late, apparently! That feeling of shared goals, of showing up for each other, of meeting women I never would have crossed paths with otherwise. It means a lot more than I expected.
Q: What does tennis give you that nothing else does?
Tennis gives me a kind of mental reset that nothing else really does. It forces me to be fully present, you can’t think about work, kids, or anything else when you’re in the middle of a point. And at the same time, it gives me energy, structure, and honestly! And a bit of competitive edge I don’t always get elsewhere.
About you
Q: Coffee or matcha? Early bird or night owl? Coffee, absolutely, without question. And very much an early bird, mornings are my most productive hours and I guard them fiercely.
Q: What do you do outside of tennis? Running, walking through Singapore's jungle trails, weight training, and reading, a lot of reading. Books are my other great escape.
Q: What’s one thing people in WITS wouldn’t guess about you? Probably that I own and run a vineyard in Bordeaux, and that I fly back regularly, especially during harvest, to be fully hands-on. So my life is quite literally split between Singapore and the vines. It's a bit of a double life, and I love both sides of it.
Q: What does a perfect day look like for you in Singapore? An early start before the heat kicks in, tennis in the morning, then a kopi and kaya toast at the hawker nearby, cliché..! Then ideally I’d work for like 2-3hours but yeah, not the reality. Spending time with my partner, planning our future trips (love that), discovering a new place in a new hawker center for lunch with friends… and School pick-up, pool, being outside! And the perfect ending: a simple dinner with good friends, great food, and a bottle of wine. Preferably ours, but I try to stay open-minded 😉
Your business
Q: Tell us a bit about your business: what inspired you to start it, when, and what do you do day-to-day?
I studied agricultural engineering with a focus on viticulture, so wine has always been in the picture. When I met my husband, who was already working as a wine importer in Paris, and got pregnant with our first child, we started thinking about building something together where our skills would complement each other. In 2020, we took over Château Canon Chaigneau, a family estate in Lalande-de-Pomerol, Bordeaux, alongside a group of investor friends. Four years later, we moved to Singapore and created our own distribution company here to bring our wines directly to this market. Today, I mostly run that side of the business, and I love it.
WITS Perk:
SGD 50 off any order of 6 bottles with code WITS50 through this link.
Q: What’s something you’re really proud of building?
Something that is truly ours. From taking over the vineyard in Bordeaux to now having our wines available in Singapore, with customers ordering online and receiving them within days, that felt like a real "we actually did this" moment. Knowing that behind every bottle is years of work, risk, and genuine belief in what we're creating makes it all feel very worthwhile. Also having our wines in emblematic places such as the Shangri La, Fairmont, Swissotel, Claudine, High House…! It is amazing.
Q: How do you balance running a business with everything else?
I wouldn't say I've mastered it… I'm constantly recalibrating. Some weeks are work-heavy, others tilt back towards family, and I've made peace with the fact that something is always slightly off: the inbox, the house, the schedule. Sport helps enormously.
Q: What’s your vision for where it goes next?
I'd love for it to become a genuine reference for Bordeaux wines here, not just a wine you buy online, but a brand people actually connect with. More presence in restaurants and clubs, more events, more moments where people experience the wine with us rather than just receiving a box. We would love to extend the offer with no alcoholic drinks to adapt our business to this evolving market, that is something I would be very proud of, working on it! And always keeping that personal, family feel at the heart of it. That's what makes it different, and that's what I want to protect.
And finally:
Q: Advice you’d give to a new player joining WITS
Show up, have fun, don't underestimate the commitment. You can absolutely do both!
Q: One word to describe WITS
Addictive
Q: What does WITS mean to you
A mix of tennis, laughs, and very efficient social networking!! But more seriously, it’s a great group of women, great energy, and a really nice balance between competition and fun.
A big thank you to Marine for supporting our End of Season Luncheon as our wine sponsor, and for sharing a special offer with the WITS community.
From events to custom orders (or simply choosing the right bottle), Marine offers a personal touch and is always happy to help. Reach her on WhatsApp at +65 9122 5438.
Follow @chateaucanonchaigneau and explore her wines in Singapore here.
